Tigre Gente calls for support for environmental defender Marcos Uzquiano

The team behind the documentary Tigre Gente calls for international attention for the situation of Marcos Uzquiano, a prominent park ranger and head of Protection at the Beni Ecological Station in Bolivia. The environmental defender faces severe reprisals and human rights violations after revealing illegal activities threatening the area’s biodiversity and communities. Tigre Gente calls for International support and urges Bolivia to uphold its obligations under the Escazú Agreement

Header photo: A jaguar. © Carlos Navarro

Environmental defender and park ranger

As the former director of Madidi National Park and a dedicated park ranger for over 20 years, Uzquiano has been working tirelessly to protect this biodiverse area from threats such as illegal wildlife trade. According to the press release of Tigre Gente, ‘Marco Uzquiano’s case is a part of a broader pattern of human and labour rights violations faced by environmental defenders in Bolivia, who have long been subjected to intimidation. (…) Uzquiano is now facing retaliatory actions from Bolivian authorities, including his unjust dismissal from his position as Chief Protection Officer at the Beni Ecological Station, ’ they state.

Protecting the jaguar

One of the unique species inhabiting Madidi National Park is the jaguar. For centuries, the jaguar has been revered as a symbol of power and strength by Indigenous peoples and local communities. As a top predator, it also has an important role to play in the wider ecosystem by balancing the food chain and helping to control the populations of other species.

Unfortunately, the jaguar population across the Americas continues to decline. Their habitat keeps getting smaller because of deforestation and new infrastructure for urban development. This affects their ability to roam around freely, to find prey and to find a mate.

Tigre Gente

To help spread the message on the need to protect jaguars and curb illegal wildlife trade to the wider public, as part of Operation Jaguar, IUCN NL supported the production of Tigre Gente, a documentary by filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer Elizabeth Unger that has been featured in international film festivals. Uzquiano has a central role in the documentary Tigre Gente.