INSTITUTO FELINOS DO AGUAÍ

Instituto Felinos do Aguaí is an organization founded in 2005 and based in Siderópolis, Santa Catarina, dedicated to the conservation of wild felids that are among the world's most threatened species, primarily affected by habitat loss. The institute's mission is to conduct research to educate, with all information obtained through research channeled into its Environmental Education Program. The organization's activities encompass scientific research, environmental education, and community engagement to promote species conservation, operating across municipalities in the southern region including Treviso, Siderópolis, Nova Veneza, Morro Grande, Bom Jardim da Serra, and Criciúma. In 2023, the institute opened a forest plant nursery at the Aguaí Biological Reserve to produce native seedlings for restoration projects in the surrounding area.