Guatemala presents its first national strategy to conserve the jaguar and its habitat through 2031

A wild jaguar with spotted fur walks toward the camera on a dirt path covered with dry leaves in a forested setting. (Francisco Asturias) Guatemala presented on October 16, through CONAP, the first National Strategy for Jaguar and Habitat Conservation 2026-2031, a five-year plan aimed at halting forest loss and protecting a national population estimated at 384 individuals. The initiative organizes state actions and those of conservation organizations for five years to safeguard the largest feline in the Americas. The National Council of Protected Areas approved the strategy in May 2026. The reduction of territory suitable for the species marks the scale of the challenge: before Spanish colonization, nearly 95% of Guatemala, some 105,000 km², could harbor jaguars. That potential area has shrunk to 25,308 km², according to the National Strategy, which drew on data from the ACT-Green Coalition. The video shows camera trap records of jaguars and other felines in protected forested areas, along with the official presentation of the document "National Strategy for Jaguar and Habitat Conservation Guatemala | 2026-2031." The logos of the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and other collaborating environmental organizations are visible in the material. Conap GuatemalaThe Maya Biosphere Reserve concentrates the country's largest jaguar presence and covers 2,090,667 hectares. Confirmed records also exist in Sierra de las Minas, the Guatemalan Caribbean, and the Verapaces. The plan delineates five Jaguar Conservation Landscapes, all located within the Guatemalan Protected Areas System. The areas are classified as presence zones, where there was at least one record in the last five years; evaluation zones, with populations of uncertain status; and restoration zones, where the feline has disappeared. Habitat loss tops the threats identified by the technical diagnosis. Cattle ranching expansion, monocultures such as African palm, illegal colonization, and forest fires fragment the forests the species needs. Conflicts with producers also affect jaguar survival. When the feline is blamed for an attack on livestock, it may be killed in retaliation, although the Strategy indicates that the risk perceived by ranchers is often greater than the actual risk. Hunting and the illegal trade of pelts, teeth, and other animal parts are described as mostly opportunistic practices, linked to those conflicts rather than to large-scale organized networks. Added to these risks are the cattle screwworm, diseases transmitted by dogs entering protected areas, and coordination difficulties among the institutions responsible for conserving the species. The jaguar is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which completely prohibits its international trade. It is also included in Appendices I and II of the Convention on Migratory Species and in Category 1 of Guatemala's List of Threatened Species. A wild jaguar with spotted fur walks toward the camera on a dirt path covered with dry leaves in a forested setting. (Francisco Asturias)The first pillar of the strategy provides for control posts, patrols with digital record-keeping, fire prevention, a brigade to rescue felines, and monitoring through camera traps and citizen science. A Technical Table for Wild Felines will advise CONAP on producing scientific knowledge and seeking financing mechanisms. The second line of action targets livestock, agricultural, and forestry operations to identify production practices compatible with coexistence with the jaguar. It includes surveys of property owners, biological monitoring on private lands, and animal health protocols to control, among other problems, the screwworm. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food and the Petén Sustainable Livestock Technical Table will be in charge of this line of work, supported by the manual Living with the Jaguar, A Guide for Ranchers. The goal is to reduce conflicts arising from livestock activity without abandoning rural production. Combating illegal trafficking forms the third pillar. The roadmap contemplates creating Control and Protection Units in CONAP's regional offices, training prosecutors, judges, police, and airport and border personnel, and establishing joint patrol protocols. The planned coordination extends to Mexico, Honduras, and Belize, with at least two cooperation mechanisms and two regional technical meetings. The Protected Areas Law punishes the capture, hunting, possession, or commercialization of jaguars and their parts with prison sentences of five to 10 years and fines of between Q 10,000 and Q 20,000. The fourth component promotes economic activities for communities living alongside the forest. The proposal incorporates forest incentives from the National Forestry Institute, responsible tourism coordinated with the Guatemalan Tourism Institute, and a diagnosis of alternatives compatible with conservation in the priority landscapes and their corridors. A wild jaguar with spotted fur walks toward the camera on a dirt path covered with dry leaves in a forested setting. (Francisco Asturias)The development of the strategy involved the participation of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Panthera Guatemala, the Center for Conservation Studies of the University of San Carlos, the Guatemalan Mammalogy Association, the Foundation for the Defense of Nature, FUNDAECO, and WWF. The process received support from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation, and ARCADIA. Among the programs to be coordinated with the new plan are population monitoring in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and its partners; Panthera's Jaguar Corridor Initiative; monitoring of the illegal trade in feline parts between CONAP and the Wildlife Conservation Society; and FUNDAECO, CONAP, the Center for Conservation Studies, and the Wildlife Conservation Society's Artificial Watering Hole Program to ensure water during the dry season.