Jaguars roam the forests of Latin America—from Belize to Peru—serving as powerful symbols of wildness and essential indicators of ecosystem health. Where jaguars thrive, so does biodiversity.
Since 1985, Community Conservation has partnered with local communities to protect jaguar habitat, beginning with the Community Baboon Sanctuary (CBS) in Belize. There, seven villages and over 120 landowners voluntarily pledged to conserve their forested land—not only for the endangered black howler monkey, but for jaguars and countless other species that share the habitat.
Since 2010, we have partnered with Neotropical Primate Conservation (NPC) to help communities protect vast stretches of rainforest in the departments of Amazonas and San Martín. These community-run reserves include places like Gran Simacache, a 38,000-hectare stronghold where jaguars roam alongside tapirs, deer, and five species of monkeys. The reserves also safeguard critical watersheds, providing clean drinking water to surrounding villages.
With your support, we’re helping even more communities join this network of defenders—expanding protections and ensuring that jaguars can continue to walk among the trees for generations to come.
Read more about our work in Peru and the inspiring communities we partner with here: https://communityconservation.org/primate-conservation-network-expansion-in-peru/
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Jaguar Team Captain Anne Wandler is a long-time volunteer at the Milwaukee County Zoo, combining her love of the zoo and conservation work. She has also been on the event committee and has been an ardent supporter for Community Conservation's Pedal, Paddle, or Plod since 2023.
