GEF-8 REQUEST FOR MSP (1-STEP) APPROVAL

The project aims to replace static connectivity models with a dynamic system using machine learning and remote sensing to track jaguar habitats and carbon stocks across 127 million hectares. It focuses on establishing scientific partnerships for data collection, developing a web portal for decision-makers, and building technical capacity among government and NGO stakeholders to integrate this data into national and regional land-use planning.

• The project targets the Pantanal-Chaco region, where the jaguar has disappeared from approximately 40% of its original distribution in the Argentine Chaco, and populations in the Pantanal are threatened by high deforestation rates in the south and wildfires.
• The project will implement a dynamic monitoring and assessment system covering at least 127 million hectares, utilizing Google Cloud and Google Earth Engine to automate the update of land cover, forest structure, and jaguar connectivity models annually.
• The system will integrate nine adaptive geospatial models, including dynamic land cover, forest disturbance, infrastructure, jaguar habitat, and connectivity models, as well as centrality metrics and barrier mitigation priorities.
• The project aims to directly benefit 236 people (108 women and 128 men) from governments, NGOs, Indigenous groups, and the private sector through capacity-building in conservation technology.
• The project identifies four primary barriers to conservation in the region: fragmented environmental data collection, limited institutional and financial incentives for automated monitoring, low technical capacity among stakeholders, and ineffective governance mechanisms.
• The project will collaborate with existing initiatives such as MapBiomas to validate models and leverage its land-use data, while filling gaps in jaguar-specific ecological needs and corridor dynamics.
• Total GEF financing for the project is $1,845,500, with an additional $1,152,382 in co-financing provided by WWF International, Fundación Vida Silvestre, and WWF-US.

APA

WWF International (2026). GEF-8 REQUEST FOR MSP (1-STEP) APPROVAL. https://assets.worldwildlife.org/www-prd/documents/af66cb97-d7fa-ef11-be20-0022480a85a3_CEOEndorsement_1.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. GEF-8 REQUEST FOR MSP (1-STEP) APPROVAL. 2026. https://assets.worldwildlife.org/www-prd/documents/af66cb97-d7fa-ef11-be20-0022480a85a3_CEOEndorsement_1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=GEF-8 REQUEST FOR MSP (1-STEP) APPROVAL |date=7 April 2026 |url=https://assets.worldwildlife.org/www-prd/documents/af66cb97-d7fa-ef11-be20-0022480a85a3_CEOEndorsement_1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2026gef8, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{GEF-8 REQUEST FOR MSP (1-STEP) APPROVAL}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://assets.worldwildlife.org/www-prd/documents/af66cb97-d7fa-ef11-be20-0022480a85a3_CEOEndorsement_1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }