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| Rewilding Argentina | |
|---|---|
| Name | Rewilding Argentina |
| Location | Argentina |
| Area | Various provinces including Corrientes Province, Patagonia, Buenos Aires Province |
| Established | 2000s–present |
| Governing body | Multiple NGOs, private reserves, provincial agencies |
Rewilding Argentina is a suite of conservation initiatives aiming to restore native ecosystems, reintroduce extirpated species, and reconnect fragmented landscapes across Argentina. Originating from collaborations among international NGOs, local landowners, scientific institutions, and provincial governments, these projects intersect with restoration ecology, conservation biology, and sustainable development. Proposals balance species recovery with tourism, agriculture, and indigenous rights in regions from Iberá Wetlands to Valdés Peninsula and the Patagonian Desert.
Rewilding Argentina draws on models from the Rewilding Europe movement, lessons from the Yellowstone National Park wolf reintroduction, and scientific frameworks advanced by institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Society, World Wildlife Fund, and the Wildlife Conservation Society. Proponents cite declines documented by the IUCN Red List, research from the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales and publications in journals like Science and Nature Ecology & Evolution to justify interventions. Drivers include habitat loss from Argentine National Road Network expansion, historical overhunting tied to the Conquest of the Desert, and invasive species pressures observed near Buenos Aires Province and Misiones Province.
Early restoration efforts trace to the establishment of private reserves such as those supported by the Conservation Land Trust model and collaborations with organizations like The Conservation Land Trust and Rewilding Argentina partners. Key milestones include the creation of protected areas linked to the Iberá Provincial Park initiative, translocations inspired by programs at the Zoological Society of London and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and scientific exchanges with the University of Buenos Aires and CONICET. International funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Ford Foundation, and philanthropic actors including Emanuel von Uexküll-linked networks helped scale pilot projects.
Prominent sites include the Iberá Wetlands rewilding project with reintroductions near Colonia Carlos Pellegrini; the Valdés Peninsula coastal conservation linking to marine mammal protection around Puerto Madryn; patagonian initiatives in Los Glaciares National Park bufferlands; and grassland restoration in the Pampa around Bahía Blanca. Collaborations involve local NGOs such as Aves Argentinas, international partners like Global Wildlife Conservation, research centers including Universidad Nacional del Nordeste and private reserves modeled after the Estancia tradition. Pilot corridors seek to connect remnants near Iguazú National Park and Calilegua National Park.
Programs prioritize keystone and umbrella species: giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris), jaguar (Panthera onca), Puma concolor, and wetland specialists like the marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) and riverine birds such as the Southern screamer and aguará guazú. Marine-linked projects address southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) habitat off Patagonia and elephant seal populations near Valdés Peninsula. Objectives include trophic rewilding following concepts proposed by Michael Soulé and David S. Wilcove, genetic rescue informed by studies at the American Museum of Natural History, and landscape connectivity derived from corridor science practiced by the Wildlands Network.
Reintroduction protocols adapt IUCN guidelines developed with inputs from IUCN Species Survival Commission and husbandry standards from institutions like Buenos Aires Zoo and Colección de Fauna units at universities. Techniques include captive breeding at facilities modeled on the Ecoparque Buenos Aires, soft-release procedures used in Reintroduction projects in Brazil, disease screening in partnership with veterinary programs at Universidad de La Plata, anti-poaching patrols coordinated with provincial police forces, fire management informed by studies from the Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), and community-based monitoring inspired by citizen science initiatives with partners such as eBird and iNaturalist. Spatial planning employs GIS methods from CONAE and connectivity models from the Iberá Corridor studies.
Rewilding projects intersect with local economies in towns like Mercedes, Corrientes and Gualeguaychú, driving ecotourism linked to lodges and businesses modeled on community-based tourism enterprises. Initiatives engage indigenous and criollo communities, referencing cultural heritage associated with the Guaraní people and historical land use shaped by the Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis. Socioeconomic assessments draw on work by World Bank consultants and academic analyses from Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Conflicts over livestock depredation involve stakeholders tied to large estancias and the Federación Agraria Argentina, while benefit-sharing models reference payment schemes from Payment for Ecosystem Services pilots.
Rewilding operates within Argentine legal instruments such as national protected area statutes under the Administración de Parques Nacionales and provincial regulations in Corrientes Province and Chaco Province. International agreements like the Convention on Biological Diversity and CITES inform species translocations. Institutional partners include CONICET, provincial environmental ministries (e.g., Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible), and NGOs such as Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina and Aves Argentinas. Policy dialogues engage with national planning via the National Biodiversity Strategy and regional mechanisms like the Mercosur environmental working groups.
Critiques highlight risks cited by conservation scholars from Harvard University, University of Oxford, and Yale University regarding genetic bottlenecks, unintended trophic cascades, and socio-political displacement noted in case studies by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Operational challenges include funding volatility from philanthropic sources like the Packard Foundation, enforcement gaps in remote provinces, disease transmission concerns paralleling episodes studied by FAO, and climate impacts projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Future directions emphasize rigorous monitoring using frameworks from Conservation Metrics researchers, expanded partnerships with universities such as Universidad Nacional de La Plata and Universidad Nacional del Litoral, and integration with landscape-scale initiatives championed by networks like the Wildlife Conservation Network and Rewilding Europe to scale restoration across the Gran Chaco and Patagonia.
Category:Conservation in Argentina