2025/011: CMS Jaguar Initiative

Draft Programme of Work on Jaguar 

The governing bodies of CMS and CITES have both been taking actions related to the jaguar, found in 18 Range States. At its 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP14), Parties through Resolution 14.14 established the CMS Jaguar Initiative as the framework to foster coordination and cooperation between all CMS Jaguar Range States, in order to enable joint action for conservation of the species and its habitat. It recommended all Party Range States and invited non-Party Range States (including all CITES Parties in the Jaguar range) to officially join this Initiative, with the aim of creating a Joint CITES-CMS Jaguar Initiative, allowing greater cooperation in view of the threats faced by the Jaguar and the deterioration of the habitat and illegal trade. CMS COP14 also agreed that a Programme of Work shall implement the CMS Jaguar Initiative (Resolution 14.14) and instructed the CMS Secretariat, to prepare, in close collaboration with the CITES Secretariat and the 2030 Jaguar Roadmap's Coordination Committee, along with the Jaguar Range State Parties, and other relevant actors, a draft Joint CITES-CMS Programme of Work, aligned with the 2030 Jaguar Roadmap and all National Jaguar Action Plans (CMS Decision 14.178).

The CMS Secretariat has prepared a draft programme of work, in accordance with its mandate, which it shared with the CITES Secretariat, and which was made available by the CITES Secretariat to the CITES 78th Standing Committee meeting held in Geneva from 3-8 February 2025, with the title “DRAFT Programme of Work for a range-wide jaguar initiative“.

The CITES 78th Standing Committee adopted a recommendation, requesting the CITES Secretariat to issue a notification with the CMS Secretariat as soon as possible to request comments from jaguar Range States and other partners, including CBD and Coordination Committee for the 2030 Jaguar Conservation Roadmap for the Americas, on:

1. the draft situational analysis;
2. the draft (Programme of Work for a range-wide jaguar initiative) included in Annex 3 of document SC78. Doc. 44.2; and
3. elements for a possible resolution on jaguar, taking into account the Annex to document SC78 Doc. 44.1 of the intersessional working group on jaguar, which took up the results of the meeting of Range States in Cuiabá, Brazil.

The CITES Secretariat issued a notification on this same subject on 26 February 2025, through notification N° 2025/023, available here.

The CMS Secretariat encourages Jaguar Range States, Parties, the CITES Secretariat and the 2030 Jaguar Roadmap's Coordination Committee, and other relevant actors to provide comments on the draft programme of work, contained in Annex 1 to this Notification and to also respond to the CITES Notification by 21 April 2025. The draft programme of work is available in English and Spanish. 

Comments on the draft programme of work should be sent by e-mail to [email protected] with copy to Clara Nobbe ([email protected]).