Photo of Bart  Harmsen Bart Harmsen
University of Belize, Environmental Research Institute preschool ground, P.O. Box 340
Belmopan, Cayo, Belize
bharmsen(at)panthera.org

member since 2013
I have been working on all issues related to the conservation and management of wild cats in Central America for the last 20 years; living and working in the small but wonderful country of Belize. Here I have been able to work on landscape level issues, ranging from national monitoring systems and jaguar-livestock conflict resolution, to corridor planning and policy issues. I work closely with the Belizean government, local co-managing NGOs, and stakeholders, to assure we can finish the creation of a full national connected protected area system from North to South, with a national monitoring and management system. I have put considerable effort into capacity building, training the next generation of Belizean cat biologists who can assure that such a system can be kept, adapted and changed for future needs, allowing all five wild cats in the country, from jaguars to jaguarundis, to live a secure existence into perpetuity.