The Felines of Aguaí´s project was originated from two main longings: the desire of preserving the rich biodiversity features of Serra Geral Mountain, grandiose with its wealth of meanings, and the necessity to preserve the wild felines, which are among the most endangered species in the world.

The conservation of the felines is the purpose of this project. By being the animals at the top of the food chain, their conservation means the conservation of the whole atmosphere and ecosystems where they are found.

São José dos Ausentes

Big carnivorous species, as Panthera onca and Puma concolor, are used as good indicators of the ecosystem well-being. These animals are called key-species, because their disappearance would cause the phenomenon known as the cascade effect, that is to say, severe dysfunctions in the subsequent troficos level, with consequences interlinked from top to bottom of the food chain.

In the State Biological Reservation of Aguaí, the main sources of information about the species distribution of felines are based on some confirmed cases of hunting and a few researches addressed to the conservation unit, therefore, having a lack of knowledge about occurrence area, ecological and behavioral aspects of these predators.

The main goal of this project is to estimate the space distribution (presence or absence) of the endangered felines in the area of the State Biological Reservation of Aguaí, with emphasis in the great felines, to implement conservation handling practices and the knowledge of the ecological potential of the conservation unit.