Title
Analysis of the legal instruments applicable to the conservation of the jaguar in its range.
Author(s)
Kretser, Heidi E.; Nuñez-Salas, Monica; Polisar, John; Maffei, Leonardo
Published
Preprint
Publisher
Zenodo
Abstract
The jaguar (Panthera onca) is one of the five felines of the Panthera genus facing global conservation threats. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers the jaguar a near-threatened species, and its population has declined by 25% in the last 25 years. Currently, jaguar populations range from Mexico to Argentina, with some specimens recorded in the United States. In this article, we compiled and reviewed the legal protections contained in national constitutions, as well as in legal and infra-legal standards in the countries where the species is found, in order to identify good legislative practices. These include national lists of protected species, specific jaguar protection laws, government-approved species management plans, and human-wildlife conflict regulations. We also list the administrative and criminal penalties applicable to illegal hunting or wildlife trade, and note which countries legally allow hunting for subsistence, sport or conflict hunting. We recommend that these countries adopt specific jaguar protection laws, as well as establish and update administrative and criminal penalties. We suggest modifying the current language contained in some regulations to ensure their understanding, adoption and implementation, as well as integrating non-binding management plans into the legal system, and harmonizing the legal policies of these countries. In addition, we propose an assessment of illegal wildlife trafficking, human-wildlife conflict, and the level of implementation of these regulations, among other criteria, to identify legal gaps. This first comprehensive assessment of jaguar legislation illustrates opportunities to strengthen legal protection of the species by comparing the variety of structures and approaches used throughout its range.
Keywords
Jaguar; wildlife trafficking; CITES; wildlife law; wildlife laws
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PUB35651