Jaguar populations are falling worldwide, but the big cats are thriving in Belize, where one-third of the Central American country is protected habitat — but even this paradise isn’t perfect.
In Belize, the jaguar’s remaining refuge is divided into two big chunks of land: one in the north, and one in the south. These rainforests are connected by a narrow, six-mile corridor of forest, outside of which danger lurks for the giant cats. Known as the Maya Forest Corridor, this bottleneck in central Belize helps jaguars migrate, keeping their populations free from inbreeding. But the forest is shrinking, as mining and agriculture advance, and jaguars find themselves in dangerously close proximity to people. Conservationists are racing against time to preserve this corridor—and hopefully, to expand it.
Researchers and activists are identifying the secret routes the elusive jaguars take through this corridor. Using hundreds of camera traps, wildlife biologist Emma Sanchez has observed the behavior of jaguars and successfully mapped their many pathways. In Runaway Creek, a nature reserve in the heart of the Maya Forest Corridor, ecologist Ray Cal uses another approach: radio collars. These tools track the cats’ movements—and tell conservation organizations where they should purchase new land to protect the jaguar, and secure its future.
