2008

The Calden Forest region of central Argentina has been severely impacted by a variety of human activities. Native forests have been eliminated in favor of agricultural lands and the legal and illegal hunting of wildlife – predominantly carnivores – have presumably affected these species, but there have been no management or research efforts to determine the degree of impact. There is a rich carnivore community in the region, including the puma as apex predator, as well as three species of smaller felines: Geoffroy’s cat, Pampas cat and jaguarundi. In addition, the area is home to the Pampas fox, lesser grison (ferret family) and hog-nosed skunk.Read Project SummaryDetermination, comparison and calibration of relative abundance indices and monitoring programs for the conservation of native carnivores Calden Forest, La Pampa, Argentina

The loss of species interactions, such as predator-prey relationships, may result in negative impacts that affect not only the interacting species but also other species and the biological communities and ecosystems they inhabit. For instance, the extirpation of wolves from most of North America resulted in prey species foraging in new wolf-free areas with subsequently negative impacts on tree recruitment, nesting area availability for migratory birds and plant community structure. Unlike those in North America, southern South American predator-prey systems have been disrupted mainly through the elimination of large native prey (wild South American camelids: guanacos and vicuñas) and their substitution with introduced prey species (livestock). Consequently, over vast areas of southern South America, the interaction between South American camelids and their main predator, the puma, has been disrupted with unknown consequences for biological communities. This project aimed to evaluate the community level importance of the predator-prey interaction between wild South American camelids (particularly vicuñas) and pumas in one of the last wild areas, San Guillermo National Park, where such interaction still occurs.Read Project SummaryStrongly interacting species: does puma predation on wild South American camelids structure biological diversity in the semiarid landscapes of the Andes?

Olrog’s gull is one of the six species of gulls worldwide that are considered threatened, in large part because there are only 2,300 breeding pairs restricted to10 breeding colonies concentrating in two areas along the Argentina Patagonian coast. During the non-breeding season, the gulls migrate north to areas such as the nature reserve Mar Chiquita Lagoon in Buenos Aires Province, and where they have been observed relying heavily on the discards of recreational fishermen. The abundance of food has encouraged juvenile gulls especially to remain in wintering areas after adults return south to breed. Unfortunately, fishing discards are often entangled with hooks, fishing line, plastic bags and other materials that have led to Olrog gull mortality. The objectives of this projects were to: 1) describe the spatial and temporal distribution of Olrog gulls relative to recreational fishing activities at Mar Chiquita; 2) estimate the impact of recreational fishing on different age classes of gulls; 3) determine the degree of reliance on fishery discards by different age classes of gulls; 4) generate awareness among fishermen to promote behavior change with the aim of protecting Olrog gulls on their wintering grounds.Read Project SummaryOlrog’s gull Larus atlanticus interacting with fisheries in Argentina