106 - Continental conservation priority for the jaguar (<em>Panthera onca</em>)
106 - Continental conservation priority for the jaguar (Panthera onca)
RECOGNISING that the jaguar (Panthera onca), the largest feline in America, is an emblematic species on the American continent, with a deep symbolic meaning, central to the world view, culture and practices of numerous indigenous peoples; that it plays a fundamental role in maintaining tropical ecosystems, since it is at the top of the food chain; and that it is a key element in ecotourism operations, which help improve the economies of local communities;
OBSERVING that its geographic distribution has declined by 55% over the last 70 years because of habitat loss and the degradation of ecosystems; and that 38.4% of the species’ geographical range is in protected areas;
FURTHER OBSERVING the systematic persecution of the jaguar for centuries, hunted unsustainably for the commercialisation of its skins or exterminated due to the advance of the colonisation frontiers of forests and savannahs;
CONCERNED ABOUT the growing demand for jaguar parts (skins, fangs and bones) at local and international levels;
AWARE that the jaguar populations in the countries that constitute its historical distribution range have declined, and that at least two of them have died out, and that, according to the latest estimations, the total number of jaguars left lies between 64,000 (De la Torre et al. 2018) and 173,000 individuals (Jędrzejewski et al. 2018);
BEARING IN MIND that the conservation of this species should be based on local visions, involving all stakeholders, with the active participation of the local community and the indigenous and African American peoples of America, who play a critical role in the conservation of this species;
RECOGNISING the efforts made by different groups, states and organisations to conserve the jaguar in its distribution range, as well as the importance of sharing experiences of the conservation of other felines carried out in other regions;
FURTHER RECOGNISING that in March 2018, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organised a high-level event, which included the governments in the jaguar’s distribution range, and that this resulted in: 1) the Jaguar 2030 New York Statement; 2) the creation of a coordination committee for the Jaguar 2030 Initiative; and 3) a 2030 Jaguar Conservation Roadmap for the Americas; and
HIGHLIGHTING the fact that at the Thirteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), held in India in February 2020, a proposal was made to include the jaguar in Appendices I and II of the CMS and this was adopted by consensus;
1. ASKS the Director General to:
a. call on the countries in the jaguar’s distribution range from the United States to Argentina, to commit to conserving the jaguar as a focal, emblematic species of America, including to:
i. recognise this species’ ecological value as an indicator of the good status of the ecosystems;
ii. prioritise its protection, conservation incentives and dissuasive measures, as it faces increasing in habitat loss;
iii. work to minimise the conflict between humans and the jaguar, placing particular emphasis on the participation of local communities and the indigenous and African American peoples, as well as all relevant local stakeholders;
iv. implement strict measures to control the poaching of this species and its exploitation as a pet and its use in circuses and shows, and to apply all strategic planning measures, including intelligence measures in the entire trade chain, legal reinforcement and the regional and national policies required to combat trafficking networks that trade in the jaguar and its parts;
v. effectively manage the pressures caused by hunting the jaguar’s natural prey;
vi. ensure that in the inclusive, participatory planning, with a budget for the execution and the monitoring of the management units in the jaguar’s distribution range, the need for implementing connected corridors for the populations of this species and its natural prey is considered, and that these corridors are integrated into territorial management plans, including differentiated incentives and sanctions;
vii. strengthen the integration of protected natural areas and buffer zones, with private natural areas and biological corridors into the territorial management of the jaguar, including cross-border territories;
viii. carry out research into the relations between the conservation of the jaguar as a predator, healthy ecosystems and the prevention of zoonotic diseases;
ix. collaborate with the Organization of American States (OAS) in the development of a strategy in synergy with the Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the Western Hemisphere, a legal instrument that supports the protection of jaguars and their habitat in the Americas;
x. integrate considerations regarding the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the productive and service sectors (agriculture, livestock farming, tourism and infrastructure), with particular emphasis on projects that have a large impact in regions of greatest importance for the conservation of the jaguar, its habitat and prey;
xi. call on countries to develop and implement conservation plans for the species at a national level and to allocate technical and financial resources to allow their implementation; and
xii. promote the development of financial mechanisms to encourage the reversal of the impact on nature across the jaguar’s range and financial sustainability in the long term;
2. ASKS Members to enhance and enrich the cultural practices associated with the jaguar that are compatible with the species’ conservation, so that these practices are considered an intangible cultural heritage in Member States and, subsequently, for humanity;
3. ASKS the IUCN Species Survival Commission to update the jaguar’s conservation status with regard to its threat category, to assess the appropriateness of considering its inclusion in the Category Vulnerable, taking into consideration the incredibly rapid degradation and destruction of its habitat;
4. URGES international organisations such as the OAS, the United Nations programmes, especially the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), consisting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), INTERPOL, the United Nations Office against Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Bank and the World Customs Organisation (WCO), to:
a. address the threats to the species and establish and/or promote joint agendas with actions for its conservation; and
b. incorporate strategies to protect the jaguar in development initiatives; and
5. CALLS ON the IUCN Regional Office for South America (IUCN-Sur) and the IUCN Regional Office for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean (ORMACC), the IUCN Secretariat, the U.S. National Committee along with Members and Commissions, and INVITES the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) to organise an event that brings together the states in the jaguar’s geographic range and jaguar specialists, as well as indigenous communities and peoples, in order to promote the recognition and adoption of the 2030 Jaguar Conservation Roadmap for the Americas.
