IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Sanderson, E.W.; Beckmann, J.P.; Beier, P.; Bird, B.; Bravo, J.C.; Fisher, K.; Grigione, M.M.; L¢pez Gonz lez, C.A.; Miller, J.R.B.; Mormorunni, C.; Paulson, L.; Peters, R.; Polisar, J.; Povilitis, T.; Robinson, M.J.; Wilcox, S. | |
| The case for reintroduction: The jaguar (Panthera onca) in the United States as a model | |
| 2021 Conservation Science and Practice: 1-17 | |
Reintroduction-defined here as the return of a species to a part of its range where it has been extirpated-is a critical pathway to conservation in the 21st century. As late as the 1960s, jaguars (_Panthera onca_) inhabited an expansive region in the central mountain ranges of Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, a habitat unique in all of jaguar range. Here, we make the case for reintroduction, building a rhetorical bridge between conservation science and practice. First, we present a rationale rooted in the philosophy of wildlife conservation. Second, we show that the species once occupied this territory and was extirpated by human actions that should no longer pose a threat. Third, we demonstrate that the proposed recovery area provides suitable ecological conditions. Fourth, we discuss how return of the species could be a net benefit to people, explicitly recognizing a diversity of values and concerns. Fifth, we show that reintroduction is practical and feasible over a realistic time horizon. Returning the jaguar to this area will enhance the recovery of an endangered species in the United States, further its range-wide conservation, and restore an essential part of North America's cultural and natural heritage. |
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