Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow

Global Witness reports that industrial agriculture is accelerating biodiversity loss in Brazil, with over 27 million hectares of jaguar habitat converted to agricultural land in Mato Grosso and Pará as of 2023. The investigation highlights JBS's role, finding that 75% of identified farms in JBS's supply chain overlapping jaguar territory in these states violated environmental laws between 2018 and 2023. The report specifically identifies the Canoeiro farm as having cleared over 1,200 hectares of protected jaguar territory between 2013 and 2023, using 'cattle laundering' to enter JBS's supply chain. Global Witness argues that stronger supply chain and finance regulations are necessary to prevent the extinction of keystone species and meet global climate goals by 2030.

• As of 2023, more than 27 million hectares of jaguar habitat in the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Pará have been converted into agricultural land, an area larger than the UK.
• Between 2014 and 2023, Global Witness detected over 5 million hectares of forest loss in jaguar territory across Mato Grosso and Pará, with 89% of this loss occurring without required legal permits.
• An analysis of JBS's supply chain in Pará and Mato Grosso between 2018 and 2023 found that 75% of farms overlapping jaguar territory had less forest remaining than required by Brazilian law.
• The Canoeiro farm in Cocalinho, Mato Grosso, cleared more than 1,200 hectares of protected jaguar territory in the APA Meandros do Araguaia reserve between 2013 and 2023, with cattle from this ranch entering JBS slaughterhouses via other farms through 'cattle laundering'.
• JBS's net-zero goal for 2040 was described by its global chief sustainability officer in early 2025 as an 'aspiration' rather than a promise.

APA

Mantovani, M. (n.d.). Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow. Global Witness. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/

Chicago

Mantovani, Marco. Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow. Global Witness, n.d. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mantovani |first1=Marco |title=Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow |publisher=Global Witness |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mantovanindjaguars, author = {Mantovani, Marco}, title = {{Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow}}, institution = {Global Witness}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }