The Soul of the Andes: building a brighter future for the Andean cat, its habitats, and the communities living alongside them
Written by Mauro Lucherini, CLP Award-winner 2001, 2003, 2009, senior researcher at INBIOSUR (Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas y Biomédicas del Sur) at the Universidad Nacional del Sur and CONICET, Argentina.
When I started this project (in 2001), the only information we had on the Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita) was based on oral reports, three sets of photos and a few skulls in museum collections. This information suggested that this small cat was very rare and inhabited exclusively the High Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru, which led the IUCN to provisionally categorize it as Endangered.
The Andean cat is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List © Cristian Sepulveda / Alianza Gato Andino (AGA)
With a small group of friends who were undergraduate biology students, primarily equipped with goodwill, we set out to uncover more about this mysterious animal, starting from the areas where it was presumed to occur in northwestern Argentina.
With less than 4,500 individuals spread over an area of 344,000 sq km, the Andean cat is extremely rare. Add this to its elusive behaviour, and you can easily imagine how challenging it would be to simply find this cat in the deserts of the high Andes, which we assumed were its only habitat.
The second great challenge was the work in remote, high-elevation areas. At over 13,000 feet the quantity of oxygen in the air is poor and the radiation of sun is extremely strong. Until you get acclimated, climbing mountains requires a strenuous effort and after a few days, your skin starts breaking from exposure to the sun and the dry air.
Mauro Lucherini scales a mountain in search of the Andean cat © Juan Repucci
A game-changer and an opportunity
Although these challenges still exist, increased access to trail cameras has been a game-changer, enabling us to produce significant data that confirmed the rarity of the species and supported the concerns about its conservation status.
Initially, local knowledge was our main source of information but we quickly learned that local people frequently could not differentiate the Andean cat from the Pampas cat, another small cat that can live in the High Andes but has a much larger distribution range.
However, working with local people allowed us to narrow down our search area and start producing the first records and photos of this mysterious cat. And with time, this challenge became an opportunity. The relationship we had been creating with local communities enabled us to implement interventions to actively engage communities in the conservation of the Andean cat and its habitat while generating alternative, sustainable sources of income.
A camera trap image of an Andean cat with its prey © Pucapaqocha / AGA / RNSAB
Creating a globally recognized NGO
The projects supported by CLP over the years were essential in initiating a process that led to the creation of the Andean Cat Alliance (AGA), a globally recognized NGO dedicated to preserving the Andean cat across its entire distribution that spans four countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru). Thanks to AGA’s work, the Andean cat has transitioned from being one of the least known small cats in the world to a flagship species for landscape conservation.
The key lesson we have learned is that to conserve the Andean cat, we need to set aside egos and personal interests and work together with all potential actors, especially local communities who share their land with this wild cat.
Fostering collaborations for wildcat conservation
While the establishment of AGA has led to many important outcomes that are difficult to capture with simple metrics, it has resulted in the creation of one protected area in Chile, with some protected areas strengthened in other countries. Six local communities are collaborating with AGA on a long-term basis to conserve the Andean cat in their lands and many more communities have benefited from access to resources that improved their relationship with wildlife and general wellbeing.
The CATcrafts Program aims to preserve the habitat of the Andean cat through the development of sustainable economic alternatives for the local communities © Juan Repucci / AGA
Further reading
In this interview with CLP, Mauro discusses his projects and subsequent career, including offering his advice for emerging conservationists: “Going Wild for the Andean Cat”
Mauro was part of a CLP Learning Exchange in 2023 with fellow wildcat researcher and CLP alumna, Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, from Bolivia. With CLP funding, the pair were able to meet in Bolivia, where Mauro helped Paola set up camera traps in the Chiquitania dry forest so she could learn more about the elusive wildcats that inhabit the region. They then met in Brazil to visit an ongoing wildcat conservation project where they both learned telemetry techniques and strengthened bonds with other conservationists to help protect wildcats across South America. Read more here: “Paving the way for wildcat conservation in Bolivia and beyond”
Mauro and Paola in Bolivia, setting up camra traps as part of their CLP Learning Exchange in 2023 © Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz