The National Jaguar Census (CENJAGUAR) is the worldwide greatest effort ever made to determine de jaguar’s populations size in a country and its current ecological status. The information generated in the CENJAGUAR allowed us to locate critical areas for the jaguar and regionalize actions towards the conservation of the species, it was crucial to balance the conservation of the species with the country’s current development needs. The CENJAGUAR was carried out over three years where we planned and developed studies and covered 12 states of the Mexican Republic. The implementation of the project involved the effort of more than 50 experts from various universities, social organizations, the federal government and the private initiative. Based on the results it is possible to estimate that currently there are approximately 4,000 jaguars in Mexico distributed in five priority regions for the conservation of the species.
Currently the jaguar inhabits from the north of Mexico to the northwest of Argentina and its populations are fragmented, which is a risk for their survival. Given the enormous need to know the state of conservation and the size of the jaguar populations in Mexico, the first National Jaguar Census and its prey was undertaken in 2007.
The Cenjaguar was the first standardized effort of specialists from universities and non-governmental organizations, which was possible thanks to the support provided by the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), the National Commission for the Use and Knowledge of Biodiversity (CONABIO) and the private initiative.
At the end of three years of continuous work, the study generated solid scientific information on the conservation state of populations. The results of this census allowed to identify priority areas for the conservation of the jaguar in Tamaulipas, northwestern Sonora, Nayarit-Jalisco, Chinanteca-Zoque Forest (Oaxaca), Chiapas Coast, Mayan Forest (Lacandona-Calakmul) and Yucatan Peninsula.
In 2016 the Second National Jaguar Census is been carried out with the objective of estimating the size and conservation status of jaguar populations in Mexico at five priority sites:
- El Eden, Quintana Roo
- Laguna Om, Quintana Roo
- Sahuaripa, Sonora
- Meseta de Cacaxtla, Sinaloa
- Montes Azules, Chiapas
The Second National Jaguar Census aims to estimate the population density and conservation status of the jaguar populations in these five sites and to determine if the populations are stable or are decreasing or increasing, estimate the habitat area available for the jaguar in each site, as well as evaluate if conservation actions undertaken more than 10 years ago have generated the results for the conservation of this species, results which will be disseminated among key actors in various sectors: governmental, academic and civil.
