Conexión Jaguar is carrying out awareness-raising activities in Simacota, Santander, a territory where communities live with these felines.

Humans around the world, through their activities, have displaced large predators from their territories, and they are now registered as endangered or even almost extinct species.

To transform this reality, ISA and INTERCOLOMBIA, through Conexión Jaguar and Panthera, a technical ally of the Program, are carrying out awareness-raising processes in the company’s areas of influence where jaguars have been recorded.

This feline is listed as Near Threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and the reasons for its decline include habitat loss and retaliatory hunting.

Therefore, informing communities about the role of predators allows citizens to become protectors of the jaguar and its habitat from their own territories.

Citizens committed to the protection of the jaguar

Simacota, Santander, is one of the areas of influence of ISA’s 500 kV Interconexión Noroccidental Project. There, more than 125 people attended workshops organized by ISA, INTERCOLOMBIA and Panthera to raise awareness of the importance of this feline for ecosystems, and citizens who live with the jaguar can protect them through their daily activities.

The experiences shared by those attending the workshops confirm a characteristic of this feline: it has a tendency to avoid confrontation with humans; that is, it does not attack without provocation.

In order for communities to acquire good livestock management practices and avoid predation, it is necessary to understand why the jaguar occasionally feeds on livestock. One of the main reasons is the introduction of livestock into their habitat and the decrease in wild prey due to hunting.

Both the recognition of the species and the commitment of the communities, guarantee that the management strategies implemented will be successful, ensuring the coexistence of the jaguar with the productive systems.

Professionals attend to predation issues

Through the workshops conducted by Conexión Jaguar and Panthera, the Feline Conflict Response Group (GRECO – ISA) was consolidated, made up of 11 professionals in the areas of Biology, Forestry Engineering, Veterinary Medicine, Environmental Coordination and Field Assistants.

Their work is fundamental to immediately attend to the needs of the community and promote good practices in the management of livestock in the different farms.

Documenting, identifying, and characterizing the attacks that have been witnessed in this area allows the group of experts and the trained farm managers to implement strategies for anti-predator management, while promoting coexistence with the feline.

As a result of the training activities and work with local producers, Panthera will implement a “model farm” with electric fencing in Simacota, Santander, as an anti-predator strategy that will serve to repel predators such as felines. In addition, this progress will allow the community to better understand what actions they can take to improve production, protect their livestock, and contribute to the conservation of Jaguars and Pumas.