GUADALAJARA, Mexico — “It was such an incredible emotion to spot pumas in the Primavera biosphere reserve in Guadalajara City, close to Akron Stadium,” says Pedro Alcocer, coordinator at the NGO Anillo Primavera. Thought to have disappeared from the area in the 1980s, pumas (Puma concolor) were spotted there again a few years ago. Since 2017, there have been eleven sightings of male, female and cubs of Mexican pumas, according to the organization’s camera traps. But the feline’s comeback could however be threatened by encroaching development for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which Mexico is co-hosting along with the U.S. and Canada, experts and communities say. Guadalajara’s pumas aren’t the only ones at risk. In Mexico City and Monterrey, the two other Mexican cities hosting matches, projects associated with the tournament are also accused of undermining surrounding ecosystems, water resources and wildlife conservation. Saving Guadalajara’s pumas Designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2006, the 30,000-hectare (74,000-acre) La Primavera surrounds Akron Stadium, located in the Bajío aquifer recharge zone, an area protected by a decree from Jalisco state since 2019. “Some people would prefer La Primavera to no longer be a biosphere reserve,” Alcocer says. “There are too many economic interests, mainly related to real estate aims that would transform the protected area into an urban park: for people involved in this business it would be better if pumas didn’t exist.” La Primavera biosphere reserve covers about 30,000 hectares and hosts a great variety of fauna, including pumas. Image by…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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