Aborigen Reserve. © Veronica Quiroga.

In Argentina the jaguar or yaguareté (Panthera onca) is classified as endangered and its populations have diminished by 85%; currently it only occurs in three isolated regions of the country, one of them is the Chaco Region. Research on jaguars in the Argentine Chaco is extremely limited, and the information vacuum is an important obstacle to conservation efforts. The puma (Puma concolor) is apparently more adaptable to human presence, and it is a potential competitor of the jaguar, but research is lacking on its ecology in this region.

Puma concolor. © Veronica Quiroga.

The general objective of this proposal is to study the ecology of the jaguar and the puma in the Argentine Chaco, including distribution, density, prey availability, and sympatric relations between the two species.

I will work at three sites in the semi-arid Chaco of Argentina, each one with different levels of human interference and under different protection regimes. I will generate information on the relationship between existing protected areas (and those planned for the near future) and the distribution of jaguars and pumas, determining the principal conservation problems facing these species in the region.

I will use systematic camera trap surveys to determine the presence and density of jaguars and pumas, the presence and abundance of potential prey species, and to evaluate habitat use as well as spatial and temporal activity patterns for both cats. I will conduct line transect surveys to record direct observations as well as sign such as tracks and scats. In order to evaluate levels of human interference at each site, I will conduct interviews with local residents.

This information will generate the first guidelines for a jaguar management plan in the Argentina Chaco, one of the most poorly studied areas of its distribution.