Biodiversity

Assignment 02.05 Biodiversity

Clayton North

12/10

The species I recommend that I recommend conserving Is the Panthera onca, commonly known as the jaguar. Jaguars are the largest cats in South America. Today jaguars are only found in remote regions of South and Central America, specifically in the Amazon Rainforest. Jaguars have a big effect on their ecosystem, as they eat deer, peccaries, capybaras, small fish, and turtles. Female jaguars have litters of one to four cubs that they protect and live with for two years or more.  Jaguars are the top predator in their ecosystem. the jaguars biggest threat is humans, the exact number of jaguars today is unknown, however it is estimated that there is under 12000 left compared to the over 400,000 in the 1960s. Today the Jaguar is considered a threatened species with the population steadily decreasing.

The two greatest threats to jaguars are both caused by humans. Deforestation, to make room for farmer’s agriculture, is a big threat. Combined with hunters poaching jaguars for their orange and black quilts. My recommended action to conserve this species is preserving their habitat and creating and enforcing legislation against deforestation and poachers in the amazon region. Preserving this region through legislation and habitat preservation will give advantages to us by protecting jaguars, improve biodiversity in the region, protect the amazon from deforestation, and will open up opportunities for eco-tourism in the Amazon rainforest; generating capital profit. However, the possible disadvantage of this is it could expect a push back from certain logging companies that would be opposed to a limitation for them of foresting in the Amazon.

In conclusion, Jaguars should be protected and conserved due to their populations. These jaguars are put into danger by poachers and deforestation. My efforts are to purpose a plan to set up legislation to preserve habitats and to put enforcement and legislation against poachers.

Bibliography

http://www.defenders.org/jaguar/threats

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/jaguar/ 

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/endangered_animals/endangeredanimals_1.htm