18 - Bringing Jaguars and Their Prey Base Back to the Iberá Wetlands, Argentina

Summary

In Argentina, jaguars have been lost from most of their range, but efforts are being made to reintroduce jaguars in the Iberá wetlands, where they went extinct in historical times. Before the reintroduction of jaguars, we strengthened the protection status of the reserve, restored jaguars’ prey base, communicated to a broad audience the goals of the project, and are transforming the local economy from extraction-based to ecotourism-based. In January and April 2021, after ten years of preparation, we released two females with two four-month-old cubs each. An adult male is scheduled to be released in 2021. Communication campaigns, meetings with all stakeholders, including local communities and decision makers, and a strategy to convert the local economy into ecotourism, were key to building strong support for the return of the jaguar. Future actions will include releasing 8–20 individuals within the next three years, monitoring demographic and genetic parameters of the population, maintaining ongoing work with local communities leading to the establishment of a robust ecotourism economy, and close engagement with the public as jaguars disperse into new areas, where predation on livestock might occur.