Changing mindsets
Changing policy and adding protections is a huge step towards recovery. But for these laws and initiatives to be effective there has to be a shift in mindset. This begins with ranchers. The critical habitat designation for jaguars in Arizona and New Mexico created some concern for ranchers in the region. However, the Society of Range Management reported that it wasn’t the actual presence of jaguars that concerned them but rather the possible restrictions of the Endangered Species Act.
Created by Moncrief and Larsen, SEA-DISC Sir Francis Drake High School, 2017
Desert landscape, (Moncrief, 2017)
Since over three-quarters of endangered species rely on habitat on private land, private landowners have an important part in endangered species conservation (Svancara, 2015). Therefore, it is important to understand their opinion and perspective. There is a distrust of government entities and skepticism over the agendas of critical habitat advocates (Svancara, 2015). Government agencies have to cultivate trust in the ranching communities. They must understand their concerns and communicate conservation goals and the implications of the ESA (Svancara, 2015). This is a collaborative effort and to reach our goals there has to be support from all sides.
Jaguar stalking from tree perch, (Timbako, 2017)