Give an Hour for Earth by spending 60 minutes doing something – anything – positive for our planet.
Earth Hour, organized by the World Wildlife Fund, is a global grassroots movement uniting people to take action on environmental issues and protect the planet.
Engaging in a massive mainstream community, Earth Hour was famously started as a lights-out event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then, it has grown to engage millions of supporters in more than 185 countries and territories, inspiring individuals and organisations worldwide to take action for the environment, and driving major legislative changes by harnessing the power of the crowd. As the movement grows, the one-hour lights-out event continues to be the symbol of a broader commitment towards nature and our planet.
GIVE THE JAGUAR A VOICE
Earth Hour in Guyana 2023 will focus attention on the protection of jaguars and the
conservation of their habitats. Earth Hour 2023 advocacy and awareness
campaigns are intended to enhance citizens’ interest and strengthen national
commitment to protecting jaguars through Governments’ signing of the Jaguar
Roadmap.
With this campaign, WWF underscores the importance of the jaguar, and will ask Governments to advance implementation of the Jaguar Roadmap 2030 and launch conservation efforts through four pathways: regional cooperation; development and implementation of national strategies; jaguar-friendly productive practices; and sustainable financing.
FACTS ABOUT THE JAGUAR
* Scientific name: Panthera onca;
* Largest wild cat in the Western Hemisphere. Third largest cat in the world, behind the lion and tiger;
* An excellent swimmer and climber;
* Has the strongest jaw and bite of all the wild cats. The name jaguar comes from
* Can kill by piercing the bones of the skull between the ears. With no predators, the jaguar is at the top of the food chain where it lives. The jaguar prefers stalking and ambushing its prey.
It is estimated that nearly 80% of the entire jaguar population (57,000 out of 64,000) live in the Amazon and the Guianas. The sub-populations found outside of the Amazon are threatened because of the small size of their habitat, isolation, lack of protection, and high density of human populations.
The jaguar is already extinct in El Salvador and Uruguay, and is virtually gone in the United States.
JAGUARS IN GUYANA
* The jaguar was chosen as the national animal of Guyana because it represents strength, courage, endurance, and resilience.
* In addition to being an important part of our culture, the presence of these animals helps maintain healthy populations of other species, by keeping ecosystems balanced through natural predation patterns.
* Scientists (from Panthera) reported finding a relatively healthy jaguar density of three to four animals per 161 miles in Guyana’s southern Rupununi savannah.
* Guyana’s jaguars can be spotted in their protected areas – can you name them?
The EPA, through its Environmental Authorisation process, Biodiversity Research process, and coordination of the implementation of environmental agreements, will continue to play its role in protecting Guyana’s jaguars. According to Section 4 (7) of the Wildlife Conservation, Management and Sustainable Use Regulations (2019), all wildcats are protected, and it is an offence to collect, hold in captivity, kill, hunt or otherwise molest a protected species.
Sources
https://a-z-animals.com/animals/location/south-america/guyana/
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jan/25/guyana-pledges-protect-jaguars
