María Flavia Caruso is a CONICET researcher and conservation biologist with nearly two decades of experience working on jaguar conservation in South America. Her research integrates human dimensions of conservation, landscape connectivity, and human–wildlife coexistence. She began studying social perceptions of jaguars and protected areas and later expanded her work to ecological connectivity, combining field surveys, camera trapping, spatial modelling, and engagement with local communities and landholders. Her current work focuses on the Southern Andean Yungas–Gran Chaco transition across Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay, where she leads the South American Jaguar Corridor Initiative. Her work seeks to strengthen connectivity beyond protected areas by integrating scientific evidence with the decisions of people and institutions managing productive landscapes.