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Jaguars return to Argentina’s Wetlands after 70 years thanks to rewilding efforts

3 min read

Sustainable Planet
Source: UNEP

70 years after the jaguar – the largest predator in South America – was driven to local extinction due to hunting and habitat loss, a rewilding project has seen the species return to the Iberá wetlands in Argentina.

Rewilding sees jaguars return to Argentina’s Iberá wetlands

A recent press release from the United Nations Environment Program announced that the largest predator in South America, the jaguar, has returned to the Iberá wetlands in Argentina 70 years after the species was driven to local extinction through hunting and habitat loss. — UNEP

The reintroduction of top predators such as the jaguar and the giant river otter, and seed bearers like peccaries and macaws is helping the Iberá wetlands recover from hunting and decades of cattle grazing and monoculture plantations.
Mariua and her two cubs were released into Gran Iberá Park in January 2021. The reintroduction of top predators such as the jaguar and the giant river otter, and seed bearers like peccaries and macaws is helping the Iberá wetlands recover from hunting and decades of cattle grazing and monoculture plantations. Source: UNEP

Jaguar Reintroduction Centre, 2019. Photo by Rafael Abuin

Mariua, an adult jaguar who was rescued as an orphan cub in Brazil, and her two captive-born cubs were released into Gran Iberá Park in January 2021. They are the first of nine jaguars slated to repopulate the species in the, a 687,966 hectare protected area, which offers an abundance of wild prey for the big cats. Currently, only about 200 jaguars remain in Argentina

The release of Mariua and her two cubs marks the first reintroduction of jaguars in a place where they have gone extinct. It is part of an effort known as “rewilding” – restoring the missing species, biodiversity, and natural processes to areas affected by human activity.

“Carefully re-introducing predators such as jaguars can help restore ecosystems. Without these species, biodiversity suffers and the services that nature provides can break down – from disease mitigation and soil protection to water system regulation,” said Doreen Robinson, Chief of Wildlife at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Source: UNEP 

The third-largest feline on the planet, the jaguar has lost over half its historical range, leaving some populations geographically isolated and with dangerously reduced gene pools.
Jaguar Reintroduction Centre, 2019. The third-largest feline on the planet, the jaguar has lost over half its historical range, leaving some populations geographically isolated and with dangerously reduced gene pools. Source: Rafael Abuin/UNEP

rewilding helps restore climate stability and planetary health

The third-largest feline on the planet, the jaguar has lost over half its historical range, leaving some populations geographically isolated and with dangerously reduced gene pools. It is an important cultural icon too: the Guarani people of northeastern Argentina value the jaguar as a symbol of strength and an essential element of the region’s identity.

“We congratulate the government of Argentina, Argentina’s National Parks and the Province of Corrientes for their commitment to rewilding this iconic species,” said Kristine Tompkins, president of Tompkins Conservation and a UNEP Patron of Protected Areas. “As we start the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, it’s time to recognise the central role that rewilding can play in restoring climate stability and planetary health.”

Source: UNEP  

The Guarani people of northeastern Argentina value the jaguar as a symbol of strength and an essential element of the region’s identity.
The jaguar is an important cultural icon. The Guarani people of northeastern Argentina value the jaguar as a symbol of strength and an essential element of the region’s identity. Source: Nicholas Carro/UNEP

Restoring the natural balance

Reintroducing top predators such as the jaguar and the giant river otter, and seed bearers like peccaries and macaws is helping the Iberá wetlands recover from hunting and decades of cattle grazing and monoculture plantations, according to Sebastian Di Martino, Director of Conservation at Rewilding Argentina, a strategic partner of Tompkins Conservation, and the organisation leading the project.

Source: UNEP  

The Jaguar is the largest feline in the Americas and is currently in critical danger of extinction in Argentina, after having lost 95% of its original distribution in the country due to hunting, habitat degradation, and lots of natural prey.
The estimated Jaguar population in Argentina is only about 200 individuals. The Jaguar is the largest feline in the Americas and is currently in critical danger of extinction in Argentina, after having lost 95% of its original distribution in the country due to hunting, habitat degradation, and lots of natural prey. Source: UNEP
For the first time in 70 years, Jaguars again roam Argentina’s Iberá wetlands thanks to the rewilding efforts of the Argentinian government, Tompkins Conservation and Fundación Rewilding Argentina. An adult jaguar and her two cubs born at the Jaguar Reintroduction Center were recently released into the wild, the first of nine individuals slated to repopulate the species in the Gran Iberá Park, a 1.7-million-acre protected area. This is a crucial step in ensuring the ecological health of South America’s principal water basins and reestablishing a biological corridor for Jaguars that once stretched continuously to the American Southwest. Source: Facebook/LeonardoDiCaprio
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