A new Strategic Plan for the conservation of the Andean cat

Abstract

The Andean cat Leopardus jacobita is the most threatened felid in the Americas. It occurs only in the high Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru and the northern Patagonian steppe in Argentina, and there are none in captivity. The Andean Cat Alliance (AGA, from its Spanish name Alianza Gato Andino) is an international and interdisciplinary network that aspires to achieve the conservation and long-term maintenance of Andean cat populations and its habitat, in harmony with local communities. The newly-released Strategic Plan for the species, developed following an assessment of the conservation actions taken by AGA members over the last 10 years and the collective knowledge they produced, launches a new phase for AGA and consolidates all conservation efforts under one Plan. Habitat loss and degradation have been identified as primary conservation threats, followed by hunting of the cats and their prey. For each of the threats the Strategic Plan provides a list of indicators that permit the recognition of the studies required to understand how the threat is affecting Andean cat populations, and the actions required for mitigation.