Community Education

As part of our continuing partnership with Naturalia, NJP has co-sponsored a series of community meetings with prominent landowners and the local livestock association. During each of these gatherings, ranch owners have expressed genuine interest in participating in conservation programs – ranging from hosting ecotours to being directly engaged in research and management. These landowners occupy the area surrounding the Northern Jaguar Reserve and are for the most part now all participants in the Feline Photo Project. In fact, their suggestions were used to shape the program’s initial expectations and methods. In response to community discussions surrounding the launch of the photo project, people in Sahuaripa started to call their town “Jaguaripa.” We hope to capitalize on the growing local appreciation for jaguars by developing environmental education activities that encourage people to consider why the preservation of species is important.