Title
Iniciativa del corredor del jaguar: Un corredor biológico y un compromiso a largo plazo para la conservación / Jaguar corridor initiative: A biological corridor and a long-term commitment to conservation
Author(s)
Roberto Salom-Pérez1; John Polisar; Howard Quigley; Kathy zeller
Published
2010
Publisher
Mesoamericana
Abstract
Panthera and the Wildlife Conservation Society have focused on modeling and verifying jaguar corridors in Mesoamerica and some other sites in Latin America, using as a basis the lowest cost dispersal routes for the species. Once this process is completed, a map of potential and actual corridors along the isthmus will be available. The next step will be to ensure the permanence of these corridors for jaguars through local and national commitments. A process has been worked out in which stakeholders can begin to understand the corridors and their functionality for jaguars and other species. This process is illustrated by the experience of a corridor initiative in Costa Rica (the Barbilla Sub-Corridor). The identification and establishment of biological corridors for jaguars can generate a landscape with conservation actions that would facilitate the long-term permanence of many species. Ensuring the effectiveness of each corridor will require an individual approach, followed by specific activities and a commitment to monitor their success. Although each corridor will have its own unique character, there will be some steps and solutions that can be applied to most. Conservation in corridors requires a long-term commitment, including cultivating relationships with partners, establishing consensus policies, and establishing clear benefits for local people to ensure their acceptance and active participation. / In Mesoamerica, and elsewhere in Latin America, Panthera and the Wildlife Conservation Society have invested in modeling and verifying jaguar corridors through a least-cost pathway framework. Once this process is finished, we will have mapped potential and actual corridors for jaguars the length of the Isthmus. The next step will be to secure the long-term persistence of these corridors for jaguars through local, regional, and national commitments. We present a process by which interested entities can begin to understand and secure functional corridors for jaguars and other species. We illustrate this process with a real example of a corridor initiative in Costa Rica (Barbilla Subcorridor). Successfully identifying and securing biological corridors for jaguars can create a conservation mega-landscape which facilitates the long-term persistence of many species. The effectiveness of each corridor will require an individual assessment, followed by some site-specific activities, and a commitment to monitoring their effectiveness. Despite the individual character of each corridor, there will be a series of steps and solutions common to most. Corridor conservation is a long-term commitment, requiring the careful cultivation of relationships with partners, the establishment of mutually agreeable policies and discernable rewards for stakeholder acceptance.
Keywords
Costa Rica; Barbilla Subcorridor; Panthera onca; ground-truthing; field validation; ground-truthing

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PUB35874