Paseo del Jaguar (
Spanish
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: "Path of the Jaguar") is a proposed interconnected system of refuges and
conservation corridor
A wildlife corridor, habitat corridor, or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures (such as roads, development, or logging). This allows an exchange of individuals between ...
s running from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
through
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
into
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
. The purpose of the Path, proposed by jaguar expert
Alan Rabinowitz
Alan Robert Rabinowitz (December 31, 1953 – August 5, 2018) was an American zoologist who served as the president, CEO, and chief scientist at Panthera Corporation, a nonprofit conservation organization devoted to protecting the world's 40 w ...
, is to allow
jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
s to travel and inter-breed throughout their historical areas.
The
Panthera organization actively develops these corridors through their Jaguar Corridor Initiative.
Description
The corridors created by this program allow for the natural roaming behavior of the jaguar and safeguard them from ranchers and farmers by giving jaguars natural cover, letting them avoid human activities as much as possible. These corridors in some cases are as small as a line of trees along a fence; they do not have to be something large, they simply have to be enough to link habitats together in continuous ground cover. A key component of the Path of the Jaguar is the creation of small preserves spaced along the corridor at key points. These preserves are just large enough for a jaguar to stay and hunt in for a day or two, offering an alternative to the risky endeavor of hunting livestock.
Potential connections
There are many potential connections between current jaguar habitats. A 2010 study by Rabinowitz suggested 182 of them, 44 of which are danger of being eliminated by human use.
See also
*
Habitat corridor
A wildlife corridor, habitat corridor, or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures (such as roads, development, or logging). This allows an exchange of individuals between ...
*
North American jaguar
The North American jaguar is a jaguar (''Panthera onca'') population in North America, ranging from the southwestern United States to Central America. This population has declined over decades and was almost eliminated by 1960.
Results of morp ...
*
South American jaguar
The South American jaguar is a jaguar (''Panthera onca'') population in South America. Though a number of subspecies of jaguar have been proposed for South America, morphological and genetic research did not reveal any evidence for subspecific ...
References
Ecological connectivity
Conservation projects
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