Conservation projects in
EL SALVADOR
Get to know the different projects working towards the conservation of small wild felids in El Salvador.
One of the key points is the conservation of our native species, for this we implement actions such as the placement of water troughs in key places of the hill in times of extreme heat and scarcity of rain, with this we seek to reduce the running over of animals that have to leave the protected areas where they live in search of water.
We also promote campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of wildlife in our environment, with this we intend to combat the misinformation about wildlife (some negative beliefs or myths) and that new generations know and value the species that still inhabit our hill. We have many actions in mind, but at the moment we are working on the formation of an organization that will allow us to manage projects to improve the quality of life of the surrounding populations and the conservation of native species in the area.
Dr. Marvin
Iyulutepet (Heart of the Mountain in the Nahuat language) 🌱💚🌳🐍.
☀️What is Iyulutepet? It is a project that aims at ecological restoration in critical areas of the Nahuistepeque hill, between the municipalities of San Pedro Nonualco and Santiago Nonualco, in the department of La Paz, El Salvador. We are a group of friends who are working together with the mission of promoting values of respect for local nature, to help care for and conserve it.
After 4 years of working on actions such as reforesting the most damaged parts of the forest we have begun to have positive results; the fauna is gradually returning to transit and inhabit the area that has become a sanctuary for wildlife.
We consider that our symbol of the project is the Zonto Cat, as we know it locally (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), since for years it has been part of the stories told by our grandparents and great-grandparents, of how they used to be abundant and now they are almost not seen anymore due to the destruction of the forests. For us it represents a symbol of resistance, an almost forgotten species that only recently has begun to be given visibility, when for years it has been part of our environment, a feline with a thousand names and most of them wrong, an animal full of stigmas, surrounded by myths and negative beliefs, hated but completely unknown by most people.
We have been monitoring for some months in our work area and we have been able to see in four years the population of our beautiful Zonto cat is increasing in our forest, it is a joy for us to see that there are already pairs of cats sighted in our cameras, as well as margays (Leopardus wiedii), and we still hope to see in these areas the beloved ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) the last record was of a male run over 4 years ago.
At the moment we are doing what we can with the few resources we have to conserve the different species that live in our sanctuary, including more than 16 medium-sized mammals, a large number of reptiles, amphibians and birds that have been monitored through our camera traps.