Conservation of wildcats and prey species through public-private partnerships and human-jaguar conflict management in Panama To strengthen jaguar conservation capacity and connectivity between core protected areas in the Chagres National Park-Darien National Park complex Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency. Socio-Economic Benefits:    The socio-economic benefits to be offered by this proposed project may be expressed at multiple levels. As stated above, cattle ranchers often lose as much as 10% of their animals and associated income from causes other than jaguar predation and mainly due to sub-optimal management practices, a situation which may be exacerbated by predation by jaguar, and thus a further economic loss to the cattle rancher. The project will help cattle ranchers to minimize losses and improve income through jaguar-centric strategies for enhanced management of cattle ranches such as use of night enclosures and corrals; enhance spatial distribution of cattle, natural prey and felines through thoughtful location of water sources; fencing of forested areas; use of breeding seasons; design and location of calving paddocks; use of experienced animals, donkeys and bells; change of livestock operations; strategic herd movements; timely discard of carcasses; use of cattle breeds with defensive disposition; efficient cattle health programs; use of the Wagon Wheel paddock system; physical and chemical repellents; shade management; diversified food source; and use of electric fences. These benefits to the cattle rancher as a consequence of improved management and reduced predation by jaguars may be considered as ‘payments for enhancing coexistence’, which achieve a dual purpose of promoting biodiversity conservation and alleviating poverty through increased income. At the community level, the protection of jaguars and their prey have tremendous eco-tourism potential which can support job creation and provide community livelihoods. Reforestation efforts to be supported by the project also bring broader community benefits in terms of ecosystem services such as the production of water, in addition to global environmental benefits such as carbon sequestration and direct support to the conservation of wildlife by contributing to the maintenance of a critical corridor necessary for the survival of numerous species of global importance.The projectproject will directly benefit 1,575 women and 1,925 men in the communities of the project intervention area. The jaguar-centric cattle ranching management plans and reforestation efforts will provide numerous opportunities for both women and men to participate in training in the application of improved cattle management practices, the operation of nurseries to produce seedlings for reforestation, in jaguar monitoring, and in campaigns to better disseminate the necessary socio-cultural relations between cattle ranchers and the jaguar and the benefits of coexistence. Improved management and reduced predation by jaguars will strengthen the resilience of cattle production and the resilience of the cattle ranching community, and by extension will directly support the economic position and the livelihoods of ranchers.Additionally, the project’s gender mainstreaming approach will ensure that women receive their fair share of project benefits, and especially women ranchers or those directly working on cattle ranches, with a direct positive impact on their economic independence.Cost-Effectiveness:    Firstly, the project is expected to be cost-effective by complementing the baseline investments defined under the ‘GEF Alternative’, while contributing the GEF Biodiversity Focal Area (BD-1-2a) and the Global Wildlife Program Components 1,2 and 5. Secondly, the project is expected to be cost-effective as a result of its ability to bring together various partners including regulatory, productive (private sector) and Civil Society entities in public-private partnerships which will produce tangible outcomes in favour of wildcats and their prey, forests connectivity, increased income to cattle ranchers from enhanced management practices, and extended socio-economic benefits to the communities in the project intervention area. Thirdly, project intervention measures were chosen based on a qualitative analysis of their alignment with national policies and priorities, their technical feasibility, estimated individual costs, probable execution times, availability of favourable enabling frameworks (in the political, legal, institutional, private sector willingness, and environmental aspects), and the estimated time for their design and implementation. This approach allowed for an effective identification of those interventions that can be implemented in the project cycle, have the highest probability of co-financing, and those that are most likely to consolidate alliances, not just nationally, but which also provide opportunities for regional and other possible South-South exchanges critical to the success of the ‘Wildcats Conservation and Research Centre’, while achieving tangible economy of scale in knowledge management through the maximization of experiences and lessons learned. Finally, the cost-effectiveness of the project is further strengthened through the involvement of UN Environment Programme as the GEF Implementing Agency and Yagaura Panama Foundation as Project Executing Agency, together with the Ministry of Environment. This ensures that a competent organization with substantial project management experience is able to support project execution and strengthen the administrative, financial and technical oversight of the project, with priority on efficient execution of funds, achievement of economies of scale, and the maximization of return on project investments.    Technical Soundness of the Project:    The project is considered to be technically sound, given that:     a. Jaguar—centric Cattle Ranching Management Plans will be developed based on sound technical and proven best practices and economic viability.   b. Environmental compensation and offsetting regulations in Panama provide an enabling framework for public-private alliances for reforestation in support of connectivity needed to sustain multiple keystone species.   c. The Project will minimize technical difficulties in applying innovative approaches by developing and implementing agreed protocols for collection, processing and dissemination of information, technology transfer and knowledge management, extending to South-South collaboration.   d. The involvement of the private sector and Civil Society brings years of experience and technical know-how, thus providing a high degree of assurance to the quality of projects outputs and outcomes.  e. The Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture Development and Yaguara Panama Foundation are committed to lead and consolidate cattle ranching management practices that support jaguar conservation through the institutionalization of jaguar-centric management plans.   f. The project employs decentralized structures that ensure the participation and contribution of local stakeholders at the level of communities in the project intervention area, municipalities, and productive sectors.