Once vanishing from view in the dense Atlantic Forest, jaguars are again stalking the undergrowth of Igua\u00e7u National Park in Brazil. Their comeback \u2014 numbers have more than doubled in the region since 2010 \u2014 is a rare success in the world of large carnivore conservation, reports Mongabay contributor Sarah Brown<\/a>. The recovery owes much to an unusual alliance of biologists, bureaucrats, border-straddling NGOs and a crochet collective of local women.<\/p>\n The jaguar (Panthera onca) population in the Brazil-Argentina Green Corridor, a 185,000-hectare (457,000-acre) stretch of forest, had collapsed by the late 2000s. Habitat loss and retaliatory killings had reduced sightings to almost none. But cross-border collaboration \u2014 between Brazil\u2019s Jaguars of Igua\u00e7u Project and Argentina\u2019s Proyecto Yaguaret\u00e9 \u2014 has helped the population grow to at least 105 individuals. It may still be isolated from other jaguar populations, but it is now stable and even cautiously expanding.<\/p>\n Such progress did not come from enforcement alone. Efforts have ranged from ecological monitoring and rapid-response conflict mitigation to educational programs in local schools and technical support for farmers losing livestock to predation. Crucially, outreach efforts have built trust. Landowners who once reached for rifles now call biologists.<\/p>\n A notable innovation is the Jaguar Crocheteers, a women-led artisan group supported by the conservation team. Based in communities bordering the park, they produce jaguar-themed crafts sold to tourists and used in awareness campaigns. For some, the income is substantial. For many, the emotional connection is transformative.<\/p>\n All of the members are \u201cunited by the jaguars,\u201d said Claudiane Tavares, a project coordinator and participant.<\/p>\n Institutional backing has followed. Foz do Igua\u00e7u\u2019s airport became the first in Brazil to earn \u201cJaguar Friendly\u201d certification. In 2024, the Paran\u00e1 state government adopted a five-year jaguar action plan, outlining measures to improve habitat connectivity, curb hunting and roadkills and reduce conflict. The effort was catalyzed in part by public outcry in 2021 against plans to reopen a road through the park \u2014 plans now shelved.<\/p>\n Yet challenges remain. The region\u2019s jaguars remain genetically isolated, and pressure on their habitat continues. Yara Barros, who leads Brazil\u2019s conservation push, warns that long-term survival depends on stitching fragmented habitats together and sustaining political will.<\/p>\n Still, the jaguars\u2019 resurgence offers hope. Where there are jaguars, Barros likes to say, there is life.<\/p>\n In Igua\u00e7u, at least for now, that life is roaring back.<\/p>\n Read the full story by Sarah Brown here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Banner image:<\/strong> Thanks to cross-border collaboration, the number of jaguars across the Brazil-Argentina Green Corridor has more than doubled in the last 13 years, with 93 individuals across the Igua\u00e7u-Iguaz\u00fa site. Image \u00a9 Whitley Awards.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n