A unifying environmental purr-pose.

• Author: Goethals, Henry
• Position: Paseo Pantera, a new conservation program by the Wildlife Conservation International and the Caribbean Conservation Corporation - Column

Enshrined in Indian lore and revered as a religious symbol, the mountain lion, the cougar, the puma--a.k.a. la pantera--ranges widely in the New World from the icy landscape of Alaska, through the steamy Central American rain forests, to Patagonia. The great adaptability of these sleek, powerful and fearless animals makes them one of the few species to have thrived successfully in the land bridge between North and South America.

It was only fitting, therefore, that Wildlife Conservation International (WCI), along with the Caribbean Conservation Corporation (CCC), select the name Paseo Pantera (Path of the Panther) for a bold new conservation program that will follow the path of the mountain lion and other members of the cat family through Central America.

The uniqueness of the Paseo Pantera stems from its strong regional approach to conservation. The program initiative identifies protected areas in seven countries of the Central American region--Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama--to be the focus of two simultaneous conservation strategies over the next five years.

The first strategy is to develop classic conservation management plans for the reserves and their surrounding areas. The second will provide funds to develop a multinational nature tourism program, thus creating jobs and income for the local population.

The end result will be a nature touring circuit in Central America comprised of "demonstration parks" which meet international management standards and incorporate most of the region's wild lands. Four pilot parks have been selected for the project. They are the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala, the barrier...