La Jornada: K’u’ Áayin Project “was born with the intention of conserving biodiversity”

In the heart of the Mayan jungle, one of the largest areas of tropical forest in America, the K’u’ Áayin project promotes jaguar conservation through camera trap monitoring, scientific research and the participation of local communities.

Located in the Yucatan Peninsula, in the southeast of Mexico, this natural reserve generates key data on the presence and behavior of the largest cat on the continent, with the purpose of strengthening strategies aimed at protecting a species considered essential for the balance of ecosystems.

Thanks to this monitoring, K’u’ Áayin has confirmed the presence of at least three possible specimens of jaguar, in addition to recording other species such as the tapir, the puma, the ocelot and the jaguarundi.

“K’u’ Áayin is a project that was born with the intention of conserving biodiversity. We knew that there was a jaguar in the area, but the actions we carried out to find out about it were the installation of camera traps, to know its movements in the site and know if it was really present or just using the passage area,” the representative of this project, Manuel Palomo, told Xinhua.

Considered an indicator of the health of ecosystems because it is at the top of the food chain, the jaguar plays a fundamental role in the ecological balance of the forests and jungles of America.

However, it faces threats derived from the loss and fragmentation of its habitat, as well as poaching, so scientific monitoring of its populations is essential to preserve the species and the biodiversity that depends on these ecosystems.

In response to these challenges, monitoring in K’u’ Áayin is developed based on a plan designed in collaboration with the Mexican civil association Be’ Tonal, which participates in the definition of sampling points with the support of the knowledge of the inhabitants of the region.

“They (the residents) help us by identifying feeding sites, trails and footprints, and, based on this information, we select the points where to install the camera traps,” Palomo explained.

The actions aimed at protecting the feline also contribute to the conservation of forests, jungles and the ecological balance as a whole, which makes K’u’ Áayin an example of a comprehensive strategy for the preservation of biodiversity.