| Type | Non-profit Organization |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
| Key people | Lilián Villalba (General Coordinator) |
| Area served | Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru |
| Focus | andean cat conservation |
| Motto | Help the Andean Cat |
| Website | gatoandino.org |
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.[1] The multinational team of researchers is partnered with the Wildlife Conservation Network[2] 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.[3]
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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 Peru and Argentina and has helped to better understand its population density and genetic variability.[4]
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.[5]
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.[6]
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.[7]
gatoandino.org, Andean Cat Alliance Website