| The Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor Project | Unique ecosystem with rich biodiversity | |
 Preserving jaguars and much more Background When we protect the habitat required for the jaguar to survive, millions of other species benefit from this protection - including we ourselves. This biodiversity corridor will give birth to the reforestation of tens of millions of indigenous trees, converting agricultural land back to original habitat of the jaguar. In Central Brazil, the biggest threat to the jaguar is its isolation into small, fragmented populations. This was caused by deforestation for agricultural expansion, timber extraction and others. This project intends to create a dispersal corridor connecting jaguar populations residing along the Araguaia River. Throughout its range, the jaguar is threatened by the conversion of its natural habitat into agricultural and pasture lands. While the Amazon River basin is considered to be a refuge for the species, the Cerrado is the opposite, as 80% of its area is modified by human activity and only 1.6% has protected status. Jaguar populations in this biome have become increasingly smaller and more isolated, and their persistence depends on protecting and establishing corridors that connect these populations. The Corridor Region: The Araguaia River is such a potential corridor. Its source is located close to Emas National Park, one of the last refuges for jaguars in the Cerrado. Other protected areas along the river are also potential refuges for jaguars, as the species’ presence has been confirmed along most of the river’s 2,000-km (1,242 mile) reach. This Araguaia river is Brazil's third-largest river outside of the Amazon basin. Its 2,000 km divide four Brazilian states (Goiás, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Pará). The parks, reserves and indigenous lands distributed along its course turn the Araguaia into one of the most conserved river of Brazil, with a rich biodiversity. Its major importance lies in the fact that along its entire course there is not a single hydroelectric dam. Thus, its landscape and land use pattern permits the movement of fauna along its banks, constituting an important corridor for the native fauna on an ecosystem scale. For threatened species, especially those that depend on large areas with native vegetation for movement, like the jaguar, the Araguaia River provides important habitat for establishing home ranges and dispersion. Considering all physical and geographical characteristics of the Araguaia River, it is of extreme importance that it is managed and protected as a whole, from its springs to its mouth. The Corridor-Alliance - partners in the project : 1) JCF – Jaguar Conservation Fund Brazil
- Initiator and coordination of the entire project. |
 Strategy & Partnerships Believing in the viability of the Araguaia River as a strategic source of cultural and socio-economic richness, and biodiversity, the Jaguar Conservation Fund (JCF) invited the Earthwatch Institute and IBAMA (Brazilian government agency for the environment) of the state of Goiás to form a partnership to develop the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor Program - Araguaia Project - with the general objective to establish a long term management, conservation and monitoring program of the river. The 5 indicator species of the Araguaia-Corridor: - the jaguar - the pink river dolphin - the giant otter - the black caiman - the piraíba ( giant catfish ) The project includes the entire extension of the Araguaia River and will be realized in three phases: I. Diagnosis and activity planning consists of : Ia. Determine and monitor distribution of the 5 key-species along the corridor. Ib. Evaluate factors that may affect key-species distribution in the medium term. Ic. Predict future distribution by evaluating connectivity between habitat fragments. II. Implementation of activities Activate communities, farmers, land-owners et. et. to make them participant of the Corridor. Either by reforestation or allocation of their land into a 'Legal Reserve' or 'Permanent Preservation Area' to be included as integral part of the Corridor-Zone. III. Monitoring of biological, landscape and socio-economic aspects The results of the sampling of the 5 key-indicator species, will assist in supporting conservation initiatives for maintaining connectivity between the populations of these species in the region, thereby increasing their chance of survival. Status of the project as of 2010: As of today, there have been over 30 expeditions. These scientific expeditions, part of Phase I, were carried in the past 5 years and include collection of data about the socio-economic profile, research about the freshwater dolphin, jaguar and a giant catfish known as piraíba. Effective conservation of a region requires strategies that combine knowledge of its biodiversity and the factors that threaten it, the identification of innovative and sustainable solutions for environmental problems, and establishing partnerships to implement actions and monitor implemented actions. To preserve the Araguaia River and promote it to the category of a Biodiversity Corridor, contributing to perpetuate its biological, economic and social importance - that is the challenge of this project.  |
