Intern-Driven Field Expansion

Published studies demonstrating that protections in the Northern Jaguar Reserve and Viviendo con Felinos ranches have positive impacts on feline populations, using long-term camera and ecological data to support conservation outcomes.

Uses motion-triggered cameras across the Northern Jaguar Reserve and partner ranches in the Viviendo con Felinos program to non-invasively monitor wildlife. The project has documented over 80 jaguars, maintains individual identification records based on spot patterns, and supports the longest continuous jaguar observation in Mexico, with more than 20 years of data and over 1,900 jaguar photo records.

Deploys and maintains motion-triggered cameras on the Northern Jaguar Reserve and across 21 ranches in the Viviendo con Felinos program to monitor wildlife, having documented over 80 jaguars and tracked individual jaguars photographed in other locations in Sonora.

Conducts various restoration projects on the reserve and neighboring ranches, including building gabions to rehydrate the landscape, assisting with water infrastructure, repairing and replacing fencing, installing rolling dips to control erosion, and removing invasive buffelgrass to create firebreaks and restore habitat.

Accepts a limited number of interns annually to assist biologists and field technicians with camera checks and fieldwork, and engages volunteers in a range of activities including restoration, wildlife monitoring, carpentry, photography, filmmaking, fundraising, artwork, and database entry.

Upgraded former ranch camps with solar-powered lighting and refrigeration, sleeping cabins, hot showers, outhouses, and water tanks to support extended stays for researchers and field staff, improving operational capacity for long-term monitoring and conservation work.

Conducts and publishes research on jaguar movements and population dynamics, including studies demonstrating positive impacts of the Northern Jaguar Reserve and Viviendo con Felinos ranches on feline populations, and inventories restoration projects to assess conservation benefits.

Upgrades former ranch camps with solar-powered lights, refrigeration, sleeping cabins, hot showers, outhouses, and water tanks to support longer field stays for staff and researchers.

Engages volunteers in a range of activities including wildlife monitoring, restoration projects, carpentry, photography, filmmaking, fundraising, artwork, and database entry. Accepts a limited number of interns annually to assist biologists and field technicians with camera checks on the reserve and partner ranches.

Works with ranchers in a buffer zone around the reserve to reduce tensions related to jaguars by providing site visits to discuss conflict minimization strategies and offering monetary awards for photographs of felines captured on motion-triggered cameras placed on ranch properties.

Conducts on-the-ground restoration including building gabions to rehydrate landscapes, removing invasive buffelgrass since 2012, installing rolling dips to control erosion, repairing fences to exclude cattle from riparian zones, and maintaining infrastructure. These projects aim to curb erosion, stabilize soils, re-vegetate habitat, and improve watershed function on the reserve and partner ranches.

Conducts on-the-ground restoration and infrastructure work including building gabions to rehydrate landscapes, installing rolling dips to control erosion, repairing fences (including experimental designs to exclude cattle from riparian zones), removing invasive buffelgrass since 2012, and repurposing materials from old structures for road repairs.

Upgrades former ranch camps with solar-powered lighting and refrigeration, sleeping cabins, hot showers, outhouses, and water tanks to enable longer field stays for staff and researchers.

Offers internships to assist biologists and field technicians with camera monitoring and engages volunteers in various activities such as restoration, wildlife monitoring, carpentry, photography, filmmaking, fundraising, artwork, and database entry.

Acquires and manages land to establish and expand the 56,000-acre Northern Jaguar Reserve, creating a permanently protected area for jaguars and other wildlife. This includes patrolling the reserve, maintaining infrastructure, and performing restoration projects.

Manages the 56,000-acre Northern Jaguar Reserve through land acquisition, infrastructure maintenance, and ecological restoration. The organization has purchased multiple properties since 2003—including Los Pavos (10,000 acres), Zetázora (33,650 acres), and Bábaco II (2,750 acres)—to establish and expand the reserve, with ongoing efforts to reduce poaching and other threats through expansion.

Manages the 56,000-acre Northern Jaguar Reserve and has acquired multiple properties since 2003 to expand the reserve, including six contiguous former ranches, with recent purchases such as Bábaco II (2,750 acres) in 2019. Ongoing efforts aim to expand the reserve further to reduce poaching and other threats.

Partners with ranchers in a buffer zone around the reserve through the Viviendo con Felinos program, placing motion-triggered cameras on their properties and providing monetary awards—5,000 pesos for jaguar photos and varying amounts for other felines—for documented sightings. The program has distributed over 6 million pesos cumulatively to support coexistence and reduce human-wildlife conflict.