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How the Jaguar, the king of the forest, can preserve its ecosystem

Because it is a predatory peak in the region, jaguars keep the ecosystem in balance, scientists say. “If you remove an apex predator from its environment, you can release an explosive mushroom into the population of other species, which can wreak havoc on the habitat, causing it to fall completely,” says Zarza Villaneuva.

“By tracking Jaguar, we can prove that they need a tremendous amount of space to survive,” Ceballos added. Protecting jaguars, he believes, will also protect animals in the food chain. “We need this kind of argument, using a charismatic species, to convince the government to increase the reserve. This is our last chance to save what brings us an invaluable reservoir of Mexican history and our biological heritage,” he says. The Calakmul Biosphere is home to about 500 jaguars, and Ceballos says nearly 70,000 other plant and animal species also live there.

A large part of this rich flora and fauna could come from the upcoming Maya Train or the Maya Train that will cross the reserve. The massive infrastructure project to be launched by 2023 will link the poorest and southernmost states of Mexico’s Chiapas with affluent tourist sites like Cancun. Work began in 2018 and has been quick and divisive. Some say it will bring much-needed opportunity to remote towns and villages; others have warned that it is an ecological catastrophe that is emerging. Zarza Villanueva says opposition groups, including many indigenous communities, say it is “ecocide.” In 2020, a group led by indigenous activist Ernesto Martínez Jiménez of Calakmul won a legal battle to suspend construction on part of the planned line, but it is unclear how long the break will last.

When night comes back to our camp and the mosquitoes fill the air, Campos Hernandez throws me a tequila. “Bites and itching,” he says. When I mention the train, he and Ceballos spill another drink. We sat in silence for a long moment, letting the choirs of night insects fill the space between us.

Finally, Ceballos speaks. “When the train was first announced … I told government officials that if they touched the biosphere they would have to deal with me.” Knowing more about himself and his colleagues about the project and its necessity, “instead of throwing our hands in the air and calling it ecocide, we decided to get involved.” Ceballos and his team began modeling the potential ecological impact, and called on the government to include wildlife crossings on the planet to allow animals to pass safely between the two parts of the reserve. Campos Hernandez noted that the Maya Train project will destroy fewer forests each year than illegal foresters. He and Ceballos are hopeful that the projects will promote the sustainable development of the environment. “Having the military and the government on our side means we can protect the biosphere from illegal cuts and may increase the reserve,” Ceballos says. He also believes it could provide the locals with an alternative to illegal logging and hunting. He finishes the tequila, and Maya talks about the train. “And now, I recommend everyone get some sleep, because we called to wake up at 4am,” he says.

A few hours later, with alarm clocks and hound howling hounds, I woke up. Our two motorhomes plus a pickup, four experts and jaguar track dogs along the trail through the woods. We reach the pile of fresh meat left over from the day before but we find no trace of the jaguar. While the group was looking for clues, Don Pancho told me to smell the air: there is a musky smell and a barnyard smell. “Jabali,” he says. “They just passed us by, but no jaguars.”


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