A Symbol of Strength: Conservation of Jaguars in Costa Rica

Historically, killing a jaguar was part of a religious ceremony or seen as a symbol of status. However, as ranches and settlements began to develop in Latin America, jaguars lost their religious significance. They came to be viewed as dangerous predators, and were often shot. These killings came to be even more common due to the post-World War II fur trend. In 1969 alone, the United States imported almost 10,000 jaguar pelts.

In 1973, jaguars were included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a measure that banned the trade of endangered species. Despite this ban, law enforcement was minimal and these cats were pushed to extinction in El Salvador and Uruguay. These historical factors hold explanatory power for the decline in jaguar populations today. 

As these endeavors take up more of the limited land in Costa Rica, jaguars have less space to roam and thrive. As a species that lives best in densely treed areas, logging and agriculture alter the environment to be inhospitable for jaguars. In the figure on the left below, dark green represents forest cover, and light green represents other land. For many years forest cover in Costa Rica was in decline because of advances in economic development and agriculture. It is only through conservation efforts that the Costa Rican rainforests have begun to reemerge. On the right is an image of farmland that has replaced forest.

The video below discusses another problem related to habitat loss - the genetic problems related to isolation and fragmentation. When the genetic diversity of jaguars is reduced, their fitness, ability to respond to environmental challenges, and disease resistance also decreases. A weakened jaguars species will continue to decline until they reach extinction.

Another ecological detriment to the jaguar is the decline in prey populations such as monkeys, deer, and birds. This decline in prey also comes from habitat loss. Jaguars are faced with less food, and therefore unable to reproduce as much. These issues of food and habitat loss further exacerbates the conflict between farmers and jaguars, as jaguars are forced to encroach further into farmland. 

While Costa Rica is already one of the leading countries in jaguar conservation, we can use other countries as inspiration for possible solutions. Important lessons can be learned through studying what ideas have been successful in other nations. At Iberá National Park in Argentina, jaguars went locally extinct due to hunting and habitat loss. But recently, three jaguars have been released in January 2021 as part of an ongoing rewilding project. Other species have already been successfully reintroduced, and the park is hoping to establish a healthy and genetically diverse jaguar population. Both local residents and farmers are very excited for this project, as it is a step towards restoring their community’s identity. Costa Rica can utilize a similar rewilding strategy to protect their own jaguar populations.

Other countries have adopted aggressive and effective strategies. In Belize, a robust program of conservation laws and creation of wildlife sanctuaries have largely protected jaguar populations. However, the Mayan hunters, traditionally at odds with jaguars, have adopted a community-based conservation strategy. There is a strong desire to participate in the ecotourism industry, creating incentive to protect the jaguars. When done in an environmentally responsible way, the ecotourism industry can create an increased desire to protect native wildlife, while stimulating the economy. Costa Rican people that are typically at odds with jaguar populations can be integrated into the already-robust ecotourism industry, incentivizing them to refrain from harming jaguars.

Costa Rican jaguars are a keystone species within their ecosystem and play an essential role in maintaining a balance between predator and prey. Not only are these species integral, the jaguar is also an amazing creature whose powerful image reminds us of the strength and wonders that lie within Costa Rica's rainforests. We need to act now before this unique species disappears forever.

Special thanks to Andres Vega and Lisanne Petracca for providing us with invaluable knowledge, media, and resources.

Primary Resources:

Amit R, Gordillo-Chávez E, Bone R. 2013. Jaguar and puma attacks on livestock in Costa Rica. Human-Wildlife Interactions 7 DOI: 10.26077/885q-4818.

Kelly J. 2019. A Sociocultural Perspective: Human Conflict with Jaguars and Pumas in Costa Rica. Conservation and Society 17 DOI: 355. 10.4103/cs.cs_17_141.

Michael S. 2016. Jaguar Conservation in Southern Belize. Conservation and Society 14 DOI: 10.4103/0972-4923.182801

Montalvo V, Alfaro L, Saenz C, Cruz J, Fuller TK, Carrillo E. 2016. Factors Affecting Jaguar and Puma Predation on Livestock in Costa Rica. Wildlife Biology in Practice 12 DOI: 10.2461/wbp.2016.12.3.

Petracca L, et al. 2017. Robust inference on large‐scale species habitat use with interview data: The status of jaguars outside protected areas in Central America. Journal of Applied Ecology 55 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12972.

Rabinowitz A, Zeller K. 2010. A range-wide model of landscape connectivity and conservation for the jaguar, Panthera onca. Biological Conservation: 143 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.01.002.

Salom-Pérez R, Corrales-Gutiérrez D, Araya-Gamboa D, Espinoza-Muñoz D, Finegan B, Petracca L. 2021. Forest cover mediates large and medium- sized mammal occurrence in a critical link of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. PLoS ONE 16 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249072.

Thornton D, Zeller K, Rondinini C, Boitani L, Crooks K, Burdett C, Rabinowitz A, Quigley H. 2016. Assessing the umbrella value of a range‐wide conservation network for jaguars (Panthera onca). Ecological Applications 26 DOI: 10.1890/15-0602.

Secondary Resources:

Alberts E. 2021. Big cat comeback: Jaguars prowl Argentina’s Iberá Wetlands after 70 years. Mongabay, California. Available from https://news.mongabay.com/2021/01/big-cat-comeback-jaguars-prowl-argentinas-ibera-wetlands-after-70-years/ (accessed March 2021).

Farley S. 2018. Osa Peninsula is Key Site for Jaguar Conservation in Costa Rica. Enchanting Costa Rica. Available from https://enchanting-costarica.com/ecotourism/osa-peninsula-is-key-site-for-jaguar-conservation-in-costa-rica/#:~:text=Jaguars%20are%20critically%20endangered%20in,of%20Costa%20Rica%20(UNA) (accessed March 2021).

Good K. 2014. What One Million Acres and the Jaguar Population Has to do With You. Available from https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/what-one-million-acres-and-the-jaguar-population-has-to-do-with-you/ (accessed April 11, 2021).

Guynup S. 2011. The Jaguar Freeway. Smithsonian Magazine, Washington D.C. Available from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-jaguar-freeway-73586097/ (accessed March 2021).

Jaguar corridor conservation strategy. The Jaguar Project, Costa Rica. Available from http://www.thejaguarproject.com/jaguar_corridor_conservation_strategy.html (accessed March 2021).

Londoño E. 2020. 'Fixing the Damage We've Done': Rewilding Jaguars in Argentina. The New York Times, New York City. Available from www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/world/americas/Jaguars-argentina-ibera.html?searchResultPosition=1 (accessed February 2021).

Moreno R. 2019. What about biological corridors? A review on some problems of concepts and their management. Available from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.tufts.edu/docview/2282196089?accountid=14434&pq-origsite=primo (accessed April April 20, 2021). 

Neto M. 2011. Attacks by Jaguars (Panthera onca) on Humans in Central Brazil: Report of Three Cases, with Observation of a Death. Available from https://www-clinicalkey-com.ezproxy.library.tufts.edu/#!/content/playContent/1-s2.0-S1080603211000445?returnurl=null&referrer=null (accessed April 22, 2021).  

O’Connell A, Karanth K, Nichols J. 2011. Camera Traps in Animal Ecology: Methods and Analyses. Springer-Verlag. DOI: 10.1007/978-4-431-99495-4.

Olson E, Matzinger P, Saborio-R G, Salazar J. 2019. Macho Uno: a sign of hope for the jaguars of Corcovado National Park. Costa Rica 69:4-6. Available from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334545097_Macho_Uno_a_sign_of_hope_for_the_jaguars_of_Corcovado_National_Park_Costa_Rica (accessed April 2021).

O’Riordan T. 2002. Biodiversity, sustainability, and human communities: protecting beyond the protected. Cambridge University Press, New York, NY. DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511492655.

Rosenberg D, Noon B, Meslow E. 1997. Biological corridors: form, function, and efficacy. BioScience 47(10):677+. Available from https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A20158617/AONE?u=mlin_m_tufts&sid=AONE&xid=6346a9bd (accessed April 2021).

Saterson K. 2013. Government Legislation and Regulations in the United States. Encyclopedia of Biodiversity (Second Edition). Available from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/convention-on-international-trade-in-endangered-species#:~:text=Introduction&text=In%201973%2C%20jaguars%20were%20listed,and%20harassment%20have%20calmed%20some (accessed March 2021).

Shukla S. 2020. Global jaguar population — 173,000 individuals or 15,000. Tigers and Other Wild Cats, North India. Available from https://tigertribe.net/2020/06/29/global-jaguar-population-173000-individuals-or-15000/#:~:text=a%20threatened%20species.-,Conservation%20groups%20estimate%20there%20are%20only%2015%2C000%20wild%20jaguars%20left,due%20to%20poaching%20and%20deforestation (accessed March 2021).

2017. Costa Rica National Parks and Reserves. Available from https://www.govisitcostarica.com/travelInfo/nationalParks.asp (accessed April 2021).

Tertiary Resources:

2021. Jaguars. (n.d.). Available from https://www.fws.gov/international/jaguars.html 

“Jaguar | Panthera.” n.d. Accessed April 11, 2021. https://www.panthera.org/cat/jaguar.

Payan E, Quigley H, Petracca L, Salom R, Foster R, Bart Harmsen. 2016. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Panthera onca. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available from https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15953/123791436 (accessed April 11, 2021).

Images:

Anonymous. 2008. Jaguar cubs killed in the Pantanal by ranchers in retaliation to cattle predation. Available from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228831792_Management_of_Domestic_Livestock_Predation_by_Jaguars_in_Brazil (accessed May 2021).

David Lewis. 2007. Zoo De La Palmyre. Available from https://flic.kr/p/2WJVFr (accessed May 2021).

Images courtesy of shutterstock (accessed May 2021).

IUCN Red List. The historic and current range of jaguars. Available from https://www.fws.gov/international/jaguars.html (accessed April 2021).

Jaguar cubs in Iberá celebrate their first birthday. Available from https://www.oneearth.org/jaguar-cubs-in-ibera-celebrate-their-first-birthday/ (accessed April 2021).

José González-Maya. 2016. Armed guards protect a population of jaguar at Las Alturas del Bosque Verde. Available from https://sols.asu.edu/about/wildlife-corridors-building-future-jaguar (accessed May 2021). 

Lagerfeld. 1971. Fendi jaguar coat. Available from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/244742560977310010/ (accessed April 2021).

Lukasz wielec. 2020. _S7A1176. Available from https://flic.kr/p/2jFQ4RC (accessed April 2021).

Matt Gerber. 2014. Ecosystem Report: The Rainforest: chain, ecosystem, en, equator, food, rainforest. Available from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/124412008443044262/ (accessed May 2021).

Monika Buczak. 2016. Forest Cover Costa Rica Map. Available from https://acmcr.org/content/deforestation-and-the-path-to-conservation-historical-perspective/ (Accessed May 2021). 

Nick Hawkins. Poster Prints of Jaguar (Panthera onca) camera trap image, Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica. Available from https://www.natureplprints.com/photographers/nick-hawkins/jaguar-panthera-onca-camera-trap-image-18204128.html (accessed May 2021).

Osa Conservation. 2017. Available from http://osaverde.com/about-osaverde/ (accessed May 2021). 

Panthera. Jaguar corridors. Available from https://news.mongabay.com/2012/09/jaguar-conservation-gets-a-boost-in-north-and-central-america/ (accessed April 2021).

Pearson Education Inc. 2014. Conservation Areas in Costa Rica. Available from https://rlcostaricaspring19.blogspot.com (accessed April 2021).

Pete Martin. 2018. Jaguar. Available from https://flic.kr/p/2a7c4AN  (accessed May 2021).

Safi kok. 2019. Jaguar rica artis 094A0146. Available from https://flic.kr/p/2hdZgM9 (accessed April 2021).

Sergio Izquierdo. 2018. Available from https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/articles/relationship-between-deforestation-climate-change (accessed May 2021). 

Simba Guardian. 2014. Available from https://sites.google.com/site/simbaguardian/the-story (accessed May 2021).

Tambako The Jaguar. 2019. Besides the log. Available from https://flic.kr/p/2ieUbxN (accessed April 2021).

Tambako The Jaguar. 2011. Lazua and the plant. Available from https://flic.kr/p/9P7kKs (accessed May 2021).

Tambako The Jaguar. 2011. Mayra fighting with her mother II. Available from https://flic.kr/p/9RB7oe (accessed April 2021).

The Tico Times. 2014. Don Mario Tello and his family. Available from https://ticotimes.net/2014/07/19/photos-a-visit-to-a-costa-rican-cabecar-indigenous-community (accessed May 2021).

Tierbild Okapia KG. Jaguar Pelt. Available from https://www.sciencesource.com/archive/Image/Jaguar-pelt-SS2148180.html (accessed May 2021).

Toh Goutenoire. 2018. Available from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/travel/costa-rica-coffee-tours.html (accessed May 2021). 

Videos:

Andrés Vega. 2021. Jaguar in Corcovado. Provided by the creator.

Castagnino R. 2021. Connecting Jaguars: How Cerrado Wildlife Corridors Could Help Jaguar Conservation. Available from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8jRTe2fUYk (accessed April 2021).

Jahn L. 2020. COSTA RICA TRAVEL DOCUMENTARY | 4x4 Road Trip. Available from www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJRvm8jbyEY&start=2253&end=2260 (accessed March 2021).