The jaguar was one of the first species included in CITES Appendix I in 1973. Today, jaguars are facing ever-increasing threats such as habitat loss and fragmentation, land use change, climate change, retaliatory killings, poaching and illegal trade. These pressures not only endanger jaguars but also undermine the broader ecosystems on which countless species and human communities depend.
The jaguar is the only species of the Panthera genus native to the Americas, is an indicator of ecosystem health and is deeply rooted in the cultural and spiritual traditions of the region’s Indigenous peoples.
As countries around the world prepare for the 20th World Wildlife Conference – formally known as the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20), taking place in Samarkand in November 2025, the momentum to ensure the survival in the wild of CITES-listed species continues to advance across Latin America.
At the end of September, in Mexico City, Mexico and Brazil co-chaired the discussions on a Regional Action Plan for Jaguar Conservation and future steps for its operationalisation. Following constructive deliberations over the three-day meeting, all jaguar range States agreed to the Regional Action Plan that will have long-lasting impact on the conservation of this iconic species and the ecosystems it inhabits.
Around 80 participants attended the meeting, including representatives from every country in the jaguar’s current range, and intergovernmental organisations, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Secretariats of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Animals and Plants, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Convention on Biological Diversity, the World Bank as well as many non-governmental organisations and individual experts.
At the opening of the meeting, Dr Marina Robles Garcia, the Undersecretary for Biodiversity and Environmental Restoration of the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources of Mexico said “We recognise the full participation of jaguar range States, highlighting that it is essential to send a message of regional unity which will also help ensure the species permanence among us, with adequate habitat for the species and communities.” Dr Robles Garcia further emphasised that “work, alliances, and actions, when we build them together, are more likely to be successful.”
During the meeting, rich insights were also shared on sustainable and innovative financing mechanisms such as green bonds and blended finance, by experts from the World Bank, UNDP and other organisations, that can be used to secure the necessary resources for the implementation and monitoring of the Regional Action Plan.
Building on the work of the Jaguar 2030 Roadmap, launched by 14 jaguar range States and international organisations UNDP, Panthera, Wildlife Conservation Society and World Wildlife Fund, the government representatives of the 19 CITES Parties that are jaguar range States reviewed and agreed on the following documents:
- Regional Action Plan for Jaguar Conservation, which strategically paves the way for collaborative efforts among countries to protect this iconic species in the region, and to guide and focus support from relevant Conventions and organisations, and to allow for more efficient use of available resources.
- Key elements of the Intergovernmental platform and governance structure that will facilitate the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the Regional Action Plan.
- The characteristics, the scope and functionality of a modular monitoring system on the illegal killing of and illicit trade in jaguars.
- A draft CITES Resolution on conservation of and trade in jaguars (Panthera onca) for consideration at CoP20that sets out the long-term strategy under CITES for jaguar conservation.
- A suite of draft Decisions jaguars (Panthera onca) for consideration at CITES CoP20, proposing immediate follow-up activities for the implementation of the Action Plan and the Intergovernmental Platform in the next intersessional period.
Ms Ivonne Higuero, CITES Secretary-General, said: “I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Governments of Mexico and Brazil for their leadership in taking this work forward. This meeting brought together all jaguar range States to chart a collective course for the future. These results demonstrate that when range States and stakeholders act in a concerted and determined manner, they unleash the full potential of international cooperation. We must also keep the momentum and scale up approaches that work. Range States must lead the management and conservation of their native species – which is a principle that lies at the heart of CITES.”