Andean Cat Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Andean Cat Alliance (Alianza Gato Andino), AGA is a network of researchers and conservationists working to study and protect the andean cat
(Leopardus jacobita) and its habitat
in Argentina
, Bolivia
, Chile
and Peru
. The Alliance has managed to be the first to capture and radio-collar an andean cat; and they were also the first to obtain photographs by camera trap. The multinational team of researchers is partnered with the Wildlife Conservation Network
The andean cat is regarded as one of the most endangered wild cats in the world and perhaps the rarest South American felid. Very little is known about this species and there have been only 10 documented sightings in the last 25 years.
and Argentina
and has helped to better understand its population density and genetic variability.
Andean Cat
The Andean Mountain Cat is a small wild cat. It is one of only two felids for which no subspecies have been classically described. Fewer than 2500 individuals are thought to exist. This cat is one of about two dozen small wild cat species found around the world...
(Leopardus jacobita) and its habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. The Alliance has managed to be the first to capture and radio-collar an andean cat; and they were also the first to obtain photographs by camera trap. The multinational team of researchers is partnered with the Wildlife Conservation Network
Wildlife Conservation Network
The Wildlife Conservation Network is a United States-based 5013 non-profit organization that partners with conservationists from around the world and is dedicated to developing community-based projects to help wildlife and people co-exist. WCN does this by providing their partners with capital,...
The andean cat is regarded as one of the most endangered wild cats in the world and perhaps the rarest South American felid. Very little is known about this species and there have been only 10 documented sightings in the last 25 years.
Geographic Distribution
The Andean Cat Alliance uses camera trapping, DNA analysis of feces, and surveys of local inhabitants to confirm the andean cats presence. AGA has widened the cats known range in PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and has helped to better understand its population density and genetic variability.
Education
The Andean Cat Alliance conducts training for park guards and local people to help them become local wildlife monitors so they may better contribute to protecting the andean cat and its habitat. Other activities include holding seminars and community festivals to both develop conservation strategies, and to raise awareness and learn the needs of the communities in each of the four range countries.EcoMuseo
The Alliance is building an EcoMuseo (“Ecological Museum”) in the “Centro Poblado Menor de Alto Perú,” a Peruvian village located in proximity to andean cat habitat.Increasing Protected Areas
One of the main goals of the Alliance is to work with governments to strengthen management of Andean cat habitat and promote new protected areas and corridors where needed.See also
- Conservation movementConservation movementThe conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
- Environmental movementEnvironmental movementThe environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
- Natural environmentNatural environmentThe natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
- SustainabilitySustainabilitySustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...