This is the first record of the species made through photo-trapping in Arhuaco territory. The presence of the jaguar is proof of the good condition of the ecosystem, as it guarantees the survival of smaller species.
In a rural area of the municipality of Valledupar, located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the presence of the largest feline in the Americas was recorded for the first time in Arhuaco territory: the jaguar, classified as a “near threatened species” on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The recording in camera traps is part of an initiative led by ISA and ISA INTERCOLOMBIA through their flagship sustainability program Conexión Jaguar and developed by the Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe, which seeks the concerted formulation, with the Arhuaco people, of a conservation project in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta that will be supported by Conexión Jaguar and its technical allies South Pole and Panthera.
“With the accompaniment of Arhuaco leaders, a technical team from ISA and INTERCOLOMBIA and its Conexión Jaguar program, and researchers from the Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe, we were able to characterize the biological and spiritual corridor of the jaguar in Arhuaco territory. In the area, which had a total study area of 70.000 hectares, 24 camera traps were installed, which revealed the presence of an adult male jaguar,” said Carlos Castaño Uribe, scientific director of Fundación Herencia Ambiental.
The recording of the individual becomes a finding of great relevance in the area, since advanced studies on feline conservation indicate that the Caribbean region is one of the areas of the country with the greatest difficulties for the conservation of big cats, and perhaps one of the areas with the highest incidence of mortality of specimens at the hands of farmers, landowners, and communities.
“With this first stage of diagnosis and formulation of a conservation initiative, which will be part of the general portfolio of projects of the Conexión Jaguar program, we seek to implement actions for the preservation and sustainable management of forests in a preliminary area of 17.000 ha. to protect biodiversity, contribute to climate change mitigation and generate benefits for rural communities in cultural and sacred territory,” explained Juan Fernando Patiño Diez, leader of ISA’s Conexión Jaguar program.
The 24 camera traps also revealed the presence of the blue-billed curassow (Crax Alberti), an endemic and critically endangered species, and the margay (Leopardus wiedii), considered a near-threatened species.
ISA and the Arhuaco people: more than 15 years building a relationship based on respect and trust
In 2003, ISA recognized the Arhuacos as the legitimate spokespeople to develop an effective participation process in the environmental and social management of the construction of the Bolívar-El Copey-Ocaña-Primavera 500 kV transmission line. This project went through a consultative process with the indigenous community, where traditional authorities held dialogue sessions with the purpose of transmitting to the company fundamental aspects of the Law of Origin and protection of sacred sites that are interconnected in the territory.
This relationship continues and transcends by taking the Conexión Jaguar program to the Sierra Nevada, where ISA seeks, in addition to protecting biodiversity and contributing to climate change mitigation, to join in the conservation of ancestral cultures.
