Learn more about the Andean cat–Wildlife Conservation Network

Working Together to Save Andean Cats

When you support Andean Cat Alliance (AGA), you help conservation efforts of the Andean cat and its habitat, through innovative strategies in research, conservation, community participation and support in the management of wild areas.

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AGA brings together four countries to save endangered Andean cats.

AGA is a multinational network that unites conservation professionals from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru and their conservation work to protect Andean cats and its habitat throughout its range.

The Andean cat is one of the rarest and least-known cats in the world.

It lives high in the Andes Mountains and Patagonian steppe, where food is scarce and weather conditions are extreme.

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Committed to coexistence with local communities.

AGA’s vision is the conservation and long-term protection of Andean cat populations and their habitat, in harmony with human communities.

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The Andean cat is one of the rarest and least-known cats in the world.

It lives high in the Andes Mountains and Patagonian steppe, where food is scarce and weather conditions are extreme.

Find out more

Committed to coexistence with local communities.

AGA’s vision is the conservation and long-term protection of Andean cat populations and their habitat, in harmony with human communities.

Find out more

This small, sturdy cat is difficult to find—there have been only ten recorded sightings in 25 years—and even harder to study. It is considered the most threatened feline in the Americas and is counted among the five most endangered cats in the world.

The Andean Cat Alliance (AGA) protects one of the rarest and most elusive cat species in the world, the Andean cat. There have only been ten sightings of Andean cats within the last 25 years, making efforts to study them quite challenging. With less than 1,400 adult cats remaining in the wild, AGA’s work across Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru is crucial to the survival of this species. AGA employs a multinational approach to address threats to the cat’s habitat, which, coupled with the involvement of local communities, provides the most impactful strategies to ensure this remarkable cat has a future in its home in the Andes Mountains.

Conservation Solutions

Boosting Local Economies

Conflict Mitigation

AGA’s Conflict Mitigation Program aims to eliminate retaliatory hunting of Andean cats by reducing conflict between herders and carnivores, such as culpeo foxes and pumas, that prey on cattle. By providing livestock guard dogs, deterrent lights, and livestock corrals, AGA reduces these incidents and improves the community’s awareness about the relevance of the conservation of the Andean cat.

In the Field 24/7

AGA’s “In the Field 24/7” program uses non-invasive research methods, such as camera trapping and genetic sampling of scat and other evidence, to fill information gaps about the global distribution, behavior, and health of the elusive Andean cat. These methods create the equivalent of having researchers in the field 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, collecting information that allows AGA to develop adequate monitoring and conservation strategies.

Education Program

AGA’s education program increases the knowledge and raises awareness about the relevance of the Andean cat and its environment among local communities. The curriculum and activities are adaptable to different audiences, from elementary school students to technical staff of governmental agencies. This modular program allows AGA to be versatile when delivering the conservation message.

CATcrafts

AGA works with women artisans to identify traditional techniques and raw materials that can be sold globally in fair trade markets. This program empowers women and generates alternative income for their families, all while protecting and celebrating the cultural identity of those who live with the Andean cat.

CATcrafts

AGA’s CATcrafts Program aims to preserve the habitat of the Andean cat through the development of sustainable economic alternatives for local communities to reduce pressure on their natural resources. This solution has created an economic value for the Andean cat’s protection, its cultural significance, and transforms the artisans into ambassadors.

Reducing Conflict

CATcrafts

Make an Impact for Andean Cats

When you get involved, donate, or spread the word on social media, you are truly making a better world for Andean Cats and the communities that live near them. Here are a few ways you can help:

Connect with Andean Cat Alliance on social media to learn more about their work and be a voice for these elusive cats.

Visit AGA’s website and sign up for their newsletter to deepen your connection with conservation.

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Donate to support AGA’s work protecting Andean Cats. Through our donation model, 100% of your donation goes to field with zero taken for overhead or administration.

Most AGA staff members have never laid eyes on an Andean cat—it is so scarce and elusive that it is almost a ghost. The Andean cat represents all that is wild in the Andes, and by conserving it we are preserving one of earth's last wild places, the expansive high-altitude Andean mountain habitat.

Dr. Rocio Palacios

How do you protect a species you don't see?

Dr. Rocio Palacios of Andean Cat Alliance (AGA) tells TV network, HITN, how AGA is saving the rare and elusive "ghost of the Andes".

Photography Credits: Andean Cat Alliance, Joshua Asel, Sebastian Kennerknecht, Juan Reppucci, Cristian Sepulveda, Lilian Villalba

Andean Cat Alliance

Working Together to Save Andean Cats

AGA brings together four countries to save endangered Andean cats.

The Andean cat is one of the rarest and least-known cats in the world.

Committed to coexistence with local communities.

The Andean cat is one of the rarest and least-known cats in the world.

Committed to coexistence with local communities.

Species Impact

Team Values