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The jaguar (Panthera onca) is one of the most threatened carnivores in the Americas. Despite a long history of research on this charismatic species, to date there have been few systematic efforts to assess its population size and status in most countries across its distribution range. We present here the results of the two National Jaguar Surveys for Mexico, the first national censuses in any country within the species distribution. We estimated jaguar densities from field data collected at 13 localities in 2008–2010 (2010 hereafter) and 11 localities in 2016–2018 (2018 hereafter). We used the 2010 census results as the basis to develop a National Jaguar Conservation Strategy that identified critical issues for jaguar conservation in Mexico. We worked with the Mexican government to implement the conservation strategy and then evaluated its effectivity. To compare the 2010 and 2018 results, we estimated the amount of jaguar-suitable habitat in the entire country based on an ecological niche model for both periods. Suitable jaguar habitat covered ~267,063 km2 (13.9% of the country’s territory) in 2010 and ~ 288,890 km2 (~14.8% of the country’s territory) in 2018. Using the most conservative density values for each priority region, we estimated jaguar densities for both the high and low suitable habitats. The total jaguar population was estimated in ~4,000 individuals for 2010 census and ~4,800 for the 2018 census. The Yucatan Peninsula was the region with the largest population, around 2000 jaguars, in both censuses. Our promising results indicate that the actions we proposed in the National Jaguar Conservation Strategy, some of which have been implemented working together with the Federal Government, other NGO’s, and land owners, are improving jaguar conservation in Mexico. The continuation of surveys and monitoring programs of the jaguar populations in Mexico will provide accurate information to design and implement effective, science-based conservation measures to try to ensure that robust jaguar populations remain a permanent fixture of Mexico’s natural heritage.

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In Mexico, information about ocelots is limited, which hinders the implementation of effective management and conservation measures. The purpose of this research was to provide basic information of population density, relative abundance and home range observed for the species in northwestern Mexico. Systematic sampling was implemented from January to December 2015 using photo-trapping as tool. Fifty-four camera-trap stations (37 double stations) were used, and the resulting grid covered an area of 182 km2. We applied six sampling periods of 59-62 days in each period. Density analysis was based on spatially explicit models and traditional capture-recapture models. The home range was estimated using the minimum convex polygon method. We obtained 135 photographic records of ocelots, of which 17 individuals were identified (five males, four females and eight individuals of undetermined sex). During six study periods, our sampling effort reached 19 710 trap-days. We estimate a capture rate for the study of 6.84 rec./1000 trap-days. The density of ocelots estimated with the Capture module in the MARK program ranged from 1.38 to 2.93 rec./100 km2. The results estimate using the SERC method showed a density of 0.93-3.06 individuals per 100 km2. The ocelots in the Northern Jaguar Reserve (NJR) had an average distribution area of 14.1 km2. The results of this research illustrate the importance of continuing studies of ocelots on the NJR to maintain a long-term viable population for northwestern Mexico.