Wildlife experts from various Latin American countries convened in Santo Domingo de Heredia, north of San José, yesterday to discuss the possibility of establishing a biological corridor for jaguars.
The project, sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Society, a nonprofit environmental group based in the United States, would seek to link jaguar population centers with others nearby through a system of forested corridors offering suitable habitats.
Representatives from a wide range of countries in the jaguars' range attended the meeting, from the United States south through Mexico, Panama, Venezuela and Brazil. Invitees included environment ministers from the respective countries as well as natural resource agency representatives and environmental groups.
Agenda items during the meeting, which ran through last night, included opportunities for education, strategies for conserving important lands, and research for quantifying the use of these corridors.
According to Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, a biologist who has been studying jaguars since the late 1970s, the corridors would stand to benefit all species, not just jaguars.
“This isn't just about good habitat – it's about good land-use planning and preserving the way of life of people that live in these corridors,” said Rabinowitz. |
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