One year after its launch, the initiative is providing important lessons on how to improve coexistence between institutions, local producers, and nature.

In the northern part of Misiones Province, where the Atlantic Forest breathes dense and humid, the jaguar moves almost unseen. It is a silent predator, essential to the balance of the ecosystem, but also a tangible presence in the daily lives of those who make a living from the land. Here, the boundary between forest and farmland is blurred. Within this shared space emerges a deeply systemic challenge, where the conservation of an endangered species—with fewer than one hundred individuals remaining in the province—intersects with the sustainability of rural production systems and the material living conditions of local families. This is not merely a matter of livestock attacks, but a broader tension between production models, economic transformations, and ecological dynamics that compels us to rethink how people and wildlife can coexist within the same territory.

The jaguar is the largest feline in the Americas and one of the most powerful symbols of the Misiones rainforest. With its robust body, golden-yellow coat marked by black rosettes, and an intense gaze that is difficult to hold, it moves through the forest with a combination of stealth and precision that makes it nearly invisible. A solitary and primarily nocturnal hunter, it travels vast territories in search of food and space. Its presence is so discreet that it is often recognized more by its footprints or the remains of its prey than by direct sightings.

After one year, the Jaguar Insurance Program has expanded its coverage to the municipalities of Puerto Iguazú, Puerto Esperanza, Puerto Libertad, and Wanda.

Beyond its strength and mystique, the jaguar plays a vital role in the forest: it regulates populations of other species and contributes to the overall health of the ecosystem. Its survival depends on extensive areas of continuous forest and the availability of natural prey. Yet these same behaviors inevitably bring it closer to productive areas when environmental conditions change. In this movement, the jaguar ceases to be merely a symbol of biodiversity and becomes an active participant in a shared system, where its presence creates both ecological value and practical challenges.

One year after the launch of the Jaguar Protection Insurance Program—an innovative mechanism designed to compensate losses and discourage retaliatory hunting—the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Argentina, together with the Government of Misiones, Río Uruguay Seguros, Aves Argentinas, and Proyecto Yaguareté, took another step toward a deeper understanding of the issue. UNDP supported a week-long fieldwork initiative in Comandante Andresito and four municipalities in the Iguazú Department.

The jaguar is the largest feline in the Americas and one of the most powerful symbols of the Misiones rainforest.

The work combined a systems-thinking approach with behavioral science tools to better understand a challenge that is far from linear and shaped by multiple layers of complexity. Through system mapping, analysis of producers’ experiences, and identification of barriers, a clear pattern emerged: many of the tensions are not explained solely by livestock predation itself, but by mismatches between expectations and reality, a lack of timely information, economic constraints that limit preventive measures, and perceptions of insufficient participation in decision-making processes. In this context, the insurance scheme is valued as a useful tool, yet it is also challenged by expectations that exceed its scope and by difficulties related to its understanding and use.

To this end, in-depth interviews were conducted with different types of producers, alongside a collaborative design workshop that explored perceptions, attitudes, and potential improvements to the insurance scheme. This process made it possible to gather experiences and better understand how decisions are shaped within the territory.

Incorporating a behavioral science perspective means recognizing that decisions are made within specific contexts and local realities, shaped by perceptions, previous experiences, emotions, and social dynamics. Understanding how producers perceive risk, trust institutions, or assess the value of a loss is just as important as the technical design of any intervention. It is at this intersection that new opportunities emerge for more realistic, effective, and ultimately more sustainable solutions.

In-depth interviews and a collaborative workshop explored perceptions, attitudes, and potential improvements to the insurance scheme.

Just as every species in the forest fulfills a role, the system surrounding its conservation also functions as a network of interdependencies. Producers manage their farms daily; government institutions establish regulations and coordinate responses; organizations such as Aves Argentinas and Proyecto Yaguareté contribute technical expertise and field presence; Río Uruguay Seguros provides essential support; schools educate future generations; and local communities shape perceptions and practices that circulate throughout the territory. None of these actors alone can sustain the balance. As in any ecosystem, what matters most is the relationships among its components.

As a result of this collaborative effort, the Government of Misiones decided to extend insurance coverage to the municipalities of Puerto Iguazú, Puerto Esperanza, Puerto Libertad, and Wanda, expanding its reach to more than 100,000 people. As with any collective process, its greatest value lies in enabling a different way of thinking about coexistence, one in which production and conservation are not opposing forces, but goals that can be achieved together.