Description
Kaminando's grassroots conservation initiative is a multi-disciplinary program incorporating advanced biological research, community outreach, and engagement. With an emphasis on the threatened jaguar (Panthera onca), our initiative focuses on maintaining habitat connectivity and biodiversity in the Nargana Wildlands of the Indigenous Guna Yala territory, Panama. Essential to our efforts is the merging of science with traditional ecological knowledge for collaborative conservation efforts.
Kaminando is carrying out a long-term, systematic monitoring program of jaguars, prey species, and other felids. We aim to provide information on the status of the felid assembly and prey availability in this threatened forest ecosystem. Our program has three main objectives: 1) Bridge the knowledge gap on jaguar ecology in the region, 2) Further our understanding of 'habitat linkages' essential to jaguars, their prey, and other felids, and 3) Foster community awareness, behavioral change, and leadership skills as catalysts for systematic change to maintain the forest and its biodiversity.
Based on our recent findings, jaguars and their prey prefer intact forests and the forest edge of the Guna Yala territory. However, if left unchecked, forest degradation, prey base depletion, and climate change will continue to erode this threatened jaguar population and its habitat. Therefore, our project seeks to increase the conservation capacity of the Guna and strengthen their role in decision-making and environmental practice.
