Paola Nogales Ascarrunz is one of Conservation Nation’s 2023 conservationist grant winners. She has years of experience leading projects dealing with the conservation of felids, from Geoffroy’s cats to jaguars – and she plans to continue that work with her Conservation Nation project.
Paola’s education has taken her in and out of her native Bolivia. After receiving a degree in biological sciences from the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés in 2019, she left for England, receiving a Msc. in ecological and evolutionary genomics from the Queen Mary University of London in 2022.
While pursuing her education, Paola has also led various projects, which are often focused on felid conservation; volunteered with organizations such as Senda Verde, which saves and shelters animals rescued from illegal trafficking; and presented her work in Bolivia, England, and beyond.
Paws for Coexistence: Safeguarding Ocelots and Communities Together in the Chiquitano Dry Forest, Bolivia
Paola’s project focuses on conservation of the ocelot, a medium-sized wild cat in Bolivia. The ocelot is one of six felids living in the country’s severely threatened Chiquitano forest – and it’s at risk of both habitat destruction and retaliatory slaughter by local communities upset at the cats’ killing of their chickens.
Paola will work to find non-lethal solutions to these issues. She is planning to establish a safe and ethical ocelot capture and relocation program, working along veterinarians and biologists to make sure both the ocelots and community members are considered. Once captured, the ocelots will be moved to a designated protected area where they can thrive.
Finally, Paola will evaluate the effectiveness of this relocation strategy, monitoring the ocelots’ movements with radio collars and determining whether they return to the human communities or remain in the protected area.
By utilizing methods that care for both the ocelots and the people that are affected by the cats, Paola plans to put together a successful conservation plan for the ocelots – and we’re excited to support her work!
