#SouthAmerica’s First Continental
#WildlifeCorridor
By: Tompkins Conservation, October 9, 2025
"The
#JaguarRiversInitiative is the first multi-country effort to create a massive wildlife corridor in the heart of South America. Uniting successful grassroots nonprofits in
#Argentina,
#Bolivia,
#Brazil, and
#Paraguay, the initiative will restore
#ecosystems, bring back
#KeySpecies, and develop
#NatureBasedEconomies in a new cross-border model that addresses the mass
#ExtinctionCrisis and climate instability on a global scale.
"In a groundbreaking announcement during
#ClimateWeek in September [2025], an alliance of grassroots South American nonprofits launched South America’s largest continental-scale rewilding endeavor. The Jaguar Rivers Initiative plans to reconnect
#FragmentedEcosystems across the vast
#ParanáBasin using
#RiverCorridors as the connective tissue. 'We all know the urgency of the
#biodiversity and climate crises,' said Kristine Tompkins of Tompkins Conservation. 'This bold initiative underlines the need for coordinated, large-scale action before it’s too late. I’d call it a lifeline to our planet.'
"South America is in the midst of an unparalleled ecological crisis.
#Wildlife populations across the region have declined by 94 percent since 1970—the steepest drop in the world. The drivers of this collapse—
#deforestation, river degradation,
#fragmentation, fire, and
#overexploitation—are intensifying in the face of
#ClimateChange.
"The Jaguar Rivers Initiative will restore, protect, and connect
#ecosystems throughout the heart of South America, covering nearly one million square miles, an area almost twice the size of Alaska. According to Deli Saavedra, the director of the initiative, 'We’re undertaking a very strategic act to safeguard one of the largest river systems in the world. By restoring its ecological integrity, diverse species and communities currently under threat in four countries have the opportunity to thrive, using a model of nature restoration combined with regenerative economies that has been tested and proven successful in places like the
#BrazilianPantanal and the
#IberáWetlands of
#Argentina.'
The initiative will be centered around four pillars:
• Arks: Large intact ecosystems with keystone species, restored and rewilded to become sources of wildlife dispersal.
•
#BufferAreas: Surrounding zones where restorative economies promote coexistence and extend protection.
• Stepping Stones: Smaller wildlife refuges along corridors, often private reserves, that enable safe dispersal and reduce human-wildlife conflicts.
•
#Rivers and
#Floodplains: Vital corridors for connectivity, requiring healthy ecological flows; safeguarded through citizen guardianship, monitoring, and strong policies."
Learn more:
https://rewilding.org/south-americas-first-continental-wildlife-corridor/
#SolarPunkSunday #RewildingInstitute #LandIsLife #WaterIsLife #EndangeredSpecies #WildlifeConservation #HabitatConservation #PreserveNature 
