Priority areas for jaguar Panthera onca conservation in the Cerrado

Approximately 30% of the Cerrado biome is suitable for jaguar conservation, with mean rainfall and land cover being critical determinants of their distribution. Researchers identified 31 high-priority jaguar conservation units covering about 8.5% of the Cerrado (174,825 km²), emphasizing the urgent need for expanded protected areas and sustainable development initiatives. Only 0.4% of the Cerrado (8,345 km²) currently has high environmental suitability for jaguars, with less than 1% of jaguar conservation units overlapping with existing protected areas. These findings highlight the critical role of connectivity between the Cerrado, Caatinga, and Amazon biomes in jaguar conservation, underscoring the importance of strategic conservation planning to mitigate habitat loss from agricultural expansion.

Portugal, M. P., Morato, R. G., Ferraz, K. M. P. M. d. B., Rodrigues, F. H. G., & Jacobi, C. M. (2019). Priority areas for jaguar Panthera onca conservation in the Cerrado. Oryx, 54(6), 854–865. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0030605318000972