Jaguar Densities and Land Cover Change in a Multi‐Use Landscape: A 10‐Year Comparison in the Colombian Llanos
Valeria Boron, Elizabeth Ruiz Elejalde, Cesar Rojano, Jorge Barragan, Angelica Diaz‐Pulido, Laura Miranda, Santiago Chiquito, Matthew HydeABSTRACT
Multi‐use areas provide habitat to jaguars ( Panthera onca ), yet their population trends remain understudied in these areas. We used camera trapping to estimate jaguar densities using spatially explicit capture‐recapture in Hato La Aurora, a private reserve and cattle ranch in the Colombian Llanos and compared estimates with 2014 and 2022 studies. We then calculated land cover change in and around Hato La Aurora over 10 years with buffers at 10, 25, and 50 km to evaluate available habitat for jaguars. We estimated 2.41 ± 0.75 individuals/100 km 2 , which is moderately higher than in 2014 and lower than in 2022, likely due to different camera placement. Habitat inside La Aurora remained steady with 10% change of disturbed cover whereas disturbed cover outside increased by 39%–54% depending on the buffer. Our study demonstrates the conservation value of productive private reserves for jaguars, but comprehensive land use policies and coexistence strategies are needed for long‐term jaguar persistence.