Research overview: small Neotropical cats in agroforestry and plantation mosaics

Agroforestry systems such as shade coffee and cacao, along with tree plantations and pasture-forest mosaics, can provide partial habitat for ocelots, margays, oncillas and jaguarundis across Latin America. This overview synthesises camera-trap and occupancy studies comparing felid use of structurally complex agroforestry versus intensive monoculture and cleared land, and the role of forest remnants and corridors in sustaining these cats near farms and towns. It examines how canopy cover, prey availability and hunting pressure determine which species persist, and the conservation potential of wildlife-friendly farming. The synthesis frames managed agricultural mosaics as contested but important habitat for small felids.