International Efforts to Combat Illegal Trade and Protect Jaguars and Big Cats

November 13, 2023

Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) have come together to combat the illegal trade of jaguar parts and derivatives and to address the issue of poaching through coordinated enforcement efforts. These important decisions were made during the CITES meeting held in Cuiaba, Brazil in September 2023.

Urgent Measures to Combat Jaguar Poaching

At the 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP19) to CITES, the participating nations received a directive to urgently adopt comprehensive enforcement controls aimed at eliminating poaching of jaguars. This directive underscores the seriousness of the threat to jaguars and the need for immediate action.

Jaguar Conservation as a Priority

The parties also resolved to prioritize jaguars as a species of concern for enforcement operations and wildlife crime prevention. This decision reflects the commitment to protect jaguars and their habitats.

Five Key Objectives for Jaguar Conservation

During the meeting, the parties set five objectives for jaguar conservation. These objectives include sharing information on illegal trade, minimizing habitat loss and fragmentation, preventing negative human-jaguar interactions, and curbing illegal killing and trade. Additionally, strategies to reduce demand for jaguar products in illegal trade were discussed.

Building Conservation Efforts

Efforts were made to align conservation actions and develop strategies to promote coexistence with jaguars. This included encouraging behavior change, promoting coexistence, and creating alternative livelihoods to reduce jaguar killings and trade.

Creating Support Systems

The parties explored options for establishing an intergovernmental platform to support states in jaguar conservation efforts. This platform would facilitate effective continental action plans and encourage collaboration with local communities and indigenous people.

Jaguar Conservation Roadmap 2030

Participants emphasized the need to strengthen international commitments related to jaguar conservation. The Jaguar Conservation Roadmap 2030 aims to assess 80 jaguar landscapes, focusing on population size, density, trends, habitat quality, and presence or absence of the animals.

Identifying Threats Beyond Poaching

In addition to illegal trade and poaching, the parties identified other threats to jaguars, such as human-animal conflicts, habitat loss due to wildfires, infrastructure development, increased agricultural practices, and reduced prey availability.

Conservation of Big Cats

Besides jaguars, the parties also addressed the conservation of other big cats, particularly leopards. They called for sharing information on conservation efforts to combat leopard poaching.

Strengthening Oversight of Captive Tigers

To protect Asian big cats, the parties urged countries with captive tigers to strengthen compliance monitoring and enforcement through measures like microchips, DNA analysis, and stripe identification images. Facilities housing tigers must adhere to conservation and welfare guidelines.

Responsible Management of Tiger Facilities

The parties emphasized the importance of identifying tiger facilities with genetic and conservation value and ensuring public access and adequate welfare conditions. Breeding tigers for trade in their parts and derivatives was discouraged.

Reducing Tiger Populations in Captivity

To align with conservation goals, the parties urged the reduction of captive tiger populations and considered measures like euthanasia if necessary due to the phasing out of intensive tiger operations.

Regional Focus on Conservation Breeding

Thailand and Vietnam were specifically encouraged to identify and support the conservation breeding of tigers from the mainland Southeast Asian lineage, known as Panthera tigris corbetti.

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