The population of jaguars in Iguaçu National Park, in Paraná, has grown by 70% since 2010. The increase has been observed on both the Brazilian and Argentine sides of the conservation unit. This result stems from federal government projects aimed at repopulating the species.
The Minister of the Environment, Sarney Filho, explained that the growth indicates progress for the entire biodiversity of the region. “The jaguar is at the top of the food chain, and the increase in population serves as a thermometer to measure the park’s efficiency in maintaining its ecosystem services,” he stated. The minister added that new investments should be made in the region. “We are already checking new trails and new actions,” he revealed.
In total, 1.6 million people visited Iguaçu National Park last year. The president of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), Ricardo Soavinski, highlighted that partnerships have brought improvements to the unit. “Previously, we had fewer visitors and more impacts on the park. Now, there are more services and fewer impacts that have resulted, for example, in the increase of jaguar populations,” he explained. According to him, the management plan is being updated and will allow for new improvements to the unit.
Carnivores of Iguaçu
The repopulation is a result of the advances of the Iguaçu Carnivores project. This initiative emerged in the 1990s through the efforts of researcher and retired ICMBio analyst, Peter Crawshaw Jr., who noted the decline of the local jaguar population.
The park houses the largest and southernmost population of the species in Brazil, known as the largest feline in the Americas and currently threatened with extinction.
The Iguaçu Carnivores project was resumed in 2009, with support from the National Center for Conservation and Carnivorous Mammals (Cenap), in an unprecedented partnership between public and private institutions that hold concessions for the park’s tourism exploitation. In 2010, an international cooperation agreement with Argentina enhanced the initiative.
Source: Portal Brasil