Location: El Peñón, Catamarca, Argentina
Project partner: Alianza Gato Andino (Andean Cat Alliance)
LATA Foundation contribution: £7,000
Project dates: June 2026 – May 2027
The Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita) is one of the world’s least-known and most endangered wild cats. The Andean Cat Alliance (AGA) has worked across Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru since 1999 to protect the species and the high-Andean ecosystems on which it depends.
This project brings together conservation, community development and responsible tourism in El Peñón, a small community in Argentina’s high-altitude Puna. The aim is to create new opportunities for local people while encouraging visitors to contribute directly to Andean cat research and conservation.
The Project
With support from the LATA Foundation, AGA is establishing a community-led camera-trap monitoring programme, alongside training and income-generating activities for local residents.
Up to 10 camera traps will be installed across the landscape to gather information about Andean cats and other wildlife. Four cameras have already been donated by tourism partner Socompa Adventure Travel, with LATA Foundation funding supporting six additional cameras and associated field equipment.
Local guides will be trained to participate in monitoring, using their knowledge of the landscape to help identify suitable locations and support fieldwork. Visitors will also have the opportunity to join guided expeditions to check camera traps, turning their travel into a direct contribution to scientific research.
The project also includes CATcrafts, a programme supporting local artisans to develop Andean cat-inspired handicrafts, and Reporter Kids, an environmental education programme for local schoolchildren. The children’s activities will culminate in the creation of a community mural celebrating local biodiversity.
What the project is supporting
- Six additional camera traps and monitoring equipment
- Training for local guides in wildlife monitoring and nature interpretation
- Workshops for local artisans through the CATcrafts programme
- Development of market-ready, Andean cat-inspired handicrafts
- Environmental education activities for local children
- Creation of a community biodiversity mural
- Opportunities for visitors to participate in responsible, science-based tourism
Our aims
The project aims to:
- Improve knowledge of the Andean cat and its habitat
- Build local capacity for wildlife monitoring and conservation
- Create new income opportunities for guides and artisans
- Connect tourism directly with conservation
- Encourage visitors to become active participants in protecting the high-Andean environment
- Strengthen community pride and awareness of local biodiversity
Why we are supporting this project
El Peñón is surrounded by exceptional high-Andean landscapes, including the Campo de Piedra Pómez Natural Reserve and Laguna Blanca Biosphere Reserve, and already attracts travellers interested in the region’s unique environment.
The project offers an opportunity to develop tourism that provides tangible benefits to the local community while supporting conservation. The long-standing relationship between AGA, Socompa Adventure Travel and the El Peñón community provides an established foundation for the work, while Socompa’s contribution of four camera traps and logistical support strengthens the project’s sustainability.
By combining scientific research with local guiding, artisan enterprise and environmental education, the project aims to demonstrate how purpose-driven tourism can support both biodiversity and rural livelihoods.