Conservation - JAGUAR RESEARCH PROJECTS

Belize:
Monitoring Jaguar in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize, C.A.
Scott Silver, Ph.D. and Linde Ostro, Ph.D.
Wildlife Conservation Society
Queens Wildlife Center
53-51 111th Street, Flushing, NY 11368
ssilver@wcs.org or lostro@wcs.org
May – June 2000

The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (CBWS) in Belize was declared a wildlife sanctuary following Alan Rabinowitz' 1983-4 study of these cats and hunting has been illegal in CBWS for the last 15 years.  The regulations have been vigorously enforced by a dedicated group of wardens working for the Belize Audubon Society, contributing to what is anecdotally perceived as a rebound in the number of both predator and prey species.  Given the results of Rabinowitz's (1983) study in CBWS which documented high densities of jaguar within the sanctuary, the frequency of jaguar sightings, and the fully protected status of the park, we believe that the CBWS and the surrounding protected areas (the Bladen Nature Reserve and the Maya Mountain Reserve) comprise one of the most important strongholds for jaguar in Central America.

In an effort to provide a population assessment and monitoring technique that can be used across the jaguars' range, the Wildlife Conservation Society's Jaguar Conservation Program wanted to test a method previously developed by Karanth and Nichols to monitor tiger populations in India. The technique takes advantage of distinctive individual markings and uses photographs taken with remote camera stations to identify individuals. The data are analyzed within the theoretical framework of mark/recapture models to estimate population abundance.  Our goal was to develop the first statistically rigorous population abundance estimate of a jaguar population using this technique.

In 2001, Drs. Scott Silver and Linde Ostro initiated a survey and monitoring program for jaguars in the CBWS.  Our goal was to develop the first statistically rigorous population abundance estimate of a jaguar population using the mark/recapture technique technique. From February 4th to April 4th  we carried out a highly successful full-scale jaguar survey using mark-recapture techniques in the CBWS. Analysis of the data resulted in a population estimate of 14 individuals in the 145 km2 area covered.

This survey has given us critical information about one of the most important jaguar conservation areas in Central America and is an important step in understanding the spatial requirements of jaguar in rainforest habitats.  For carnivores such as the jaguar, the abundance of prey species is probably the most important habitat component.  Thus, a better understanding of the quality of jaguar habitat and prey densities in the CBWS will enhance conservation and management efforts.

The role of the Cockscomb as envisioned by the JCP is that of a testing ground for field methods to assess and monitor jaguar populations.  As part of a comprehensive program to conserve jaguar populations throughout the Americas, the JCP needs to identify methods of investigation that can produce reliable profiles of the status of jaguar populations and the faunal communities associated with their survival. In order to do this for any given habitat type, the JCP needs at least one thoroughly investigated area containing a healthy jaguar population.  The Cockscomb is a prime example of this.   The status of the Cockscomb population has been, and will continue to be examined through a variety of repeatable field techniques that are either formulated by JCP researchers in the field, or modified from other felid or large carnivore biologists throughout the world.

Jaguar caught in camera trap along Cockscomb Basin trails.