Wetlands Newsletter - Proyecto Iberá · pas deer, the aguará guazú, and a wide selection of birds. The passing of this provincial law represents an es-sential step in the process

Wetlands Newsletter

Number 30,October 2016

News on the Natural Reserve of Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Iberá National Park �� 2

Conservation

After decades of absence, the first tapirs have stepped into Corrientes and the Iberá Wetlands �� 3

New technologies in the CECY �� 5

Experts and authorities unite in the planning and evaluation of the Iberá Jaguar Reproduction and Reintroduction Project �� 6

Trainings

Important exchange with South Africa �� 8

The role of the veterinarian in the production of nature: The South African Experience and the importance of training yourself�� 9

General

The province of Corrientes presented the Master Plan for Iberá ��11

Iberá in Tecnópolis��12

Iberá workshop in Buenos Aires ��13

Events

Tribute to Douglas Tompkins ��13

Free publication published by The Conservation Land Trust with the collaboration of different NGOs and entities working in the Iberá Nature Reserve2

Wetlands NewsletterNumber 30, October 2016

Iberá National Park

Iberá Wetlands (Photo: Florian Von Der Fecht)

The Government of Corrientes has approved the yield-ing of jurisdiction over the land in the Iberá territory in favour of the National Government. This parliamen-tary advancement represents an essential step forward towards the creation of the Iberá National Park, which together with the Iberá Provincial Park will create the Iberá Eco-Touristic Park.

The legislators involved where enthusiastic in their approval of an idea that allows the government to pro-tect the environment of otherwise private territories through the creation of a national park, and also makes possible to fulfil one man’s will to leave a legacy for the nation. There are very few records of similar situa-tions in Argentina: Perito Moreno, the Pedersen family, the Ledesma company, Otamendi, and once more the Tompkins family; however, we hope that it will inspire others in the future towards the preservation of other natural areas in our country.

Last December, and continuing her husbands’ work, Mrs. Kristine Mcdivitt Tompkins announced her desire to donate this land for its public use and the safeguard of the Iberá Wetlands’ ecosystem under the Law 22.351 of National Parks. The Government of Corrientes approved the provincial law that yields

environmental jurisdiction of the Iberá territory owned by The Conservation Land Trust (CLT) and Flora and Fauna to the National Government, a total of 150.000 acres. In short, this means that 150.000 acres have stopped being privately owned in order to become a national public property.

The Iberá region has one of the largest water surfaces and estuaries of the country, in addition of presenting great potential for the development of a local economy based on the rational and sustainable use of natural re-sources and tourism. Its lands, lakes and wetlands host an impressive variety of wildlife, including species with a very fragile population as are the marsh deer, the pam-pas deer, the aguará guazú, and a wide selection of birds.

The passing of this provincial law represents an es-sential step in the process of the creation of the Iberá National Park. In order to accomplish this final goal, the National Government has to accept the donated lands through a new law that will be debated in both chambers of the National Congress. Once the national government takes ownership over this land, the newly created Iberá National Park together with the Iberá Provincial Park will give place to the biggest eco-tour-istic park in Argentina.



Conservation

After decades of absence, the first tapirs have stepped into Corrientes and the Iberá WetlandsIn the same way as other species like the jaguar, the col-lared peccary, or the anteater, the tapir was a victim of the hunting and habitat destruction which took place at the end of the 18th and the first half of the 20th century. This situation resulted in the complete van-ishing of the species in several Argentinian provinces, including Corrientes. We learn about their former pres-ence in `the “swamps” through the french naturalist D’Orbigny, who travelled through the Iberá Wetlands in 1828. However, by the 1960´s the tapir was very rare in the province, and the last one of its species was killed in the surrounding area from Puerto Valle in the beginning of the 1970’s.

The land has since then suffered the absence of the largest South American herbivore, who was responsible for the scattering of fruits and seeds, and whose disap-pearance led to an impoverishing of the soil. This ab-sence was endured until September 8, 2016, the day in which a group of tapir couples that will be rein-troduced to their natural habitat were brought to the Private Reserve “Rincon del Socorro” (Iberá Provincial Reserve), located close to Colonia Pellegrini.

The return of the tapir to the Wetlands is part of the program for the reintroduction of extinct wildlife being conducted by The Conservation Land Trust Argentina, with the support of the province of Corrientes. In this particular case, the additional involvement of the prov-ince of Salta played a key role, since they were the ones to contribute the animals that until then were living in the Indigenous Fauna Station under the Secretary of Environment of this province.

The first two animals to arrive in Iberá are a male and a female. Francisco is a nine-year-old male that

became a part of the Indigenous Fauna Station when he was a mere five months old, after being taken from the poachers that had killed his mother. Nato is a young female whose exact age is unknown, and that entered that same Station in June of 2014, after being reclaimed from a person that was keeping her in illegal captivity.

In June 2016, the couple was brought from Salta to the quarantine station located in San Cayetano (Corrientes), where they remained for almost three months while rigorous sanitary check-ups where con-ducted. On September 8th, and once these examina-tions were completed, the tapirs were transported from the station to Iberá. Once here, they were housed in a large “acclimatization paddock”, which has been built

Nato, the female tapir, coming down from the vehicle that brought her to the Reserve Rincon del Socorro.



to mirror de local environment from the Reserve, and which will help them to slowly adapt to their new situ-ation until the day comes for their final liberation, ap-proximately a month and a half away.

Nato and Francisco´s liberation will be followed by that of other tapirs that are currently in captivity. There is great hope that other institutions, such as the Buenos Aires Zoological Garden or the Horco Molle Experimental Station (Tucumán) will become a part of this initiative.

Thanks to the collaborating work of numerous in-stitutions and provinces, this otherwise extinct fauna is being slowly recovered in the province of Corrientes. In this way, it is possible to orchestrate what is prob-ably the largest experiment in the restoration of threat-ened wildlife in the American continent, something that hopefully will be replicated in other areas of the coun-try that have faced the same crisis in the extinction of their large birds and mammals. Francisco resting in the shade.

Nato really loves the water!



New technologies in the CECYIn order to be able to monitor the jaguar cubs that are born in the CECY (Jaguar Experimental Breeding Center), and with the invaluable cooperation of Sicón Strategies and Tecnología Infinita, a cutting edge video surveillance feed was installed in the premises of the Center. This sys-tem counts with ten video cameras, from which four of them are dome-style and able of recording in 360º, and is powered by solar energy and fully equipped with in-frared technology for nocturnal observations.

The cameras are located in different areas of the 1,5 acres’ breeding pen where Tobuna will be moved once her pregnancy is confirmed. This pen counts with tall pastures and lush vegetation, and the surveillance sys-tem will allow us to observe her and her cubs’ life from different angles on a daily basis. In this way, we will be

able to track the development of her offspring while minimizing the human presence, something that is ex-tremely important in order to achieve the goal of breed-ing jaguars that can be, in the future, released in the natural environment of the Iberá Wetlands. The imag-es captured by the cameras are broadcasted through an antenna from the CECY to the headquarters located 4 km away in the San Alonso Reserve, where its possible to see them on a large screen and where the cameras can be handled via remote control.

The technology leaves us both happy and impressed by the quality of the results, and the possibilities that this new tool opens in regards to the observation of both behaviours and interesting events in the lives of the jag-uars that are currently living in the CECY.

Monitoring screens.(Photo: Karina Sporring)

Installing the video surveillance cameras.(Photo: Karina Sporring)



Experts and authorities unite in the planning and evaluation of the Iberá Jaguar Reproduction and Reintroduction ProjectThe jaguar is not only the most threatened mammal in Argentina, but it’s also a symbol of Corrientes’ natural and cultural heritage, disappeared from the Iberá and the rest of the province approximately half a century ago. However, and starting five years back, CLT has been developing the Iberá Jaguar Reproduction and Reintroduction Project in the Natural Iberá Reserve, a worldwide ground-breaking program. It´s design has required the assessment of the best national and inter-national experts, and currently counts with the supervi-sion of Corrientes’ and Argentina’s wildlife authorities.

During the month of August, scientists and

The experts’ reunion in the San Alonso Reserve.

governmental representatives got together in the San Alonso Reserve, located in the heart of the Iberá Wetlands, to analyse the current and future workings of the program. This encounter saw the presence of representatives from the National Park Administration (APN), the National Wildlife Department (DFS), the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development in Argentina, the Ministry of Tourism of Corrientes, sci-entists and experts in the biology and handling of jag-uars from both Argentina and Brazil, and Les Carlisle, a South African professional with ample practical knowl-edge in the reintroduction of large felines.



For two days, and in addition to CLT’s technicians and professionals, they reflected about how to contin-ue improving the functioning of this reproductive pro-gram, which already counts with a jaguar couple and hopes to obtain a second one in the next few months. The encounter also included a detailed visit to the Jaguar Experimental Breeding Center, and to the two jaguars there hosted, Tobuna and Nahuel.

As told by Ignacio Jiménez, CLT’s Director of Conservation, “this is the third of this types of reunions in the past five years. This encounters are key for the proper working of a program that by being on the cut-ting edge in the field, has a strong experimental com-ponent. There is always room for improvement, and we have to continuously ask ourselves how to do so. Being able to count with experts of different geographi-cal origins and different knowledges, on top of repre-sentatives of the corresponding authorities, allows us

to evaluate our own work and at the same time share our developments not just through reports and paper work. This presents a unique opportunity for us to work together in the return of this rare feline to Iberá, and to Argentina.”

The group of experts visits CECY.



Trainings

Important exchange with South AfricaLes Carlisle, the renowned South African veterinari-an with ample experience in the handling of wildlife and the translocation of large mammals in reserves in Africa and India, gave two presentations in the city of Corrientes.

The first of this talks took place in the Veterinarian School of the UNNE (National North-eastern University). Les Carlisle, together with Dr. Elvio Rios, Dean of the UNNE, Senator Sergio Flinta, teacher and alum from this university and main force behind the Master Plan for Iberá, and Dr. Ignacio Jimenez, CLT’s Director of Conservation, spoke before more than two hundred students regarding the key role of the veteri-narian in the production of nature, and the need for constant training in order to remain in the leading edge in the field.

The second talk was directed towards the tourism sector, and spoke about Les Carlisle’s days in the Phinda Private Reserve. Together with Ignacio Jiménez, who is spending this year in South Africa gathering knowledge and experience, they talked about the different models of parks and reserves that are built around nature-based tourism, and invited all listeners to think of models that could to be applied to the Iberá Wetlands in particu-lar, and Corrientes in general. The Minister of Tourism, Arq. Ines Presman, welcomed and thanked the audi-ence and the lecturers, among who were the Secretary of Coordination and Planning for the Province of Corrientes, Dr. Cristian Piris, Senator Sergio Flinta, Sofia Heinonen and Marisi Lopez from CLT, and sev-eral other hotel owners, travel agents, and business managers.

At the end of the lectures, CLT invited Les Carlisle to explore the Iberá Wetlands, so that he could experience and discover the natural beauty found in our province.

Asistents in Les Carlisle’s presentation at UNNE.

Ignacio Jiménez and Les Carslile in Iberá.

CLT staff and Les Carlisle sailing in the Iberá lagoon.



The role of the veterinarian in the production of nature: The South African Experience and the importance of training yourself

Veterinarian training is known to follow the tradition-al ways in which most efforts are directed to preserve individual lives: as clinical veterinarians, we are taught to use all the information and tools at our disposal in the battle fought against sickness. This, however, leaves questions unanswered: what does this mean regarding the role we play in the conservation of the wildlife? How should we train ourselves in order to be able to produce nature? What do we really mean when we talk about “conservation medicine”?

I had the opportunity to travel to South Africa, one of the most knowledgeable countries in the world re-garding this topic, not just to observe through a win-dow as an outsider, but to experience with them all they had to offer. This journey began in one of the oldest

“It was the sound of the footsteps leading the way, the tiredness that was surging from a carpet made of lapacho leaves, a young, playing cub, the fog within my thoughts, the water hitting against the horses’ walk, the perfection that was running free all around me.” —AC. Rosas

natural reserves in Africa, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, the only state park in Kwazulu-Natal that prides itself in being home to the “Big Five”.

One of the most dramatic and exciting components of the reserve is the fact that everything that reaches our eyes is the result of more than a hundred years of work-ing efforts towards conservation and ecological resto-ration. As told by the vivid memory of a not forgotten history, the most valuable animals in South Africa were exterminated at the end of the nineteenth century. In this reserve we can see how a group of people dared to think that long term survival could be achieved through the moving of animals, and thus they pioneered the development of the best techniques and skills for the translocation of big mammals. It is this work that marks them today as one of the biggest contributors to fauna conservation in the world, and which as a result allows them to display a rich variety of wildlife and the larg-est population of white rhinoceros.

It was with them that I was able to feel the fierceness of nature, and at the same time, men’s commitment, feel the cold skin of a rhinoceros and the warmth of relent-less work, the rustle of the forest under elephant steps and the fight against poaching, a lion’s roar that crept into my tent while the possibility of a draught crept into my mind. Several nyalas, kudus, waterbuks and rhinoceros were translocated during my stay there, all the while four hundred African buffalos were added to a program for the investigation and control of tuber-culosis disease, and lions and wild dogs were captured in order to place on them telemetry collars. All this ac-tions combined were, and are, efforts that promise to

Chemical immobilization of an elephant for its regular control as a part of the contraception program, Phinda

Private Game Reserve (South Africa). Veterinarians, technicians, volunteers and helpers working together in

what is a most challenging intervention.



work for goals that are not in the immediate tomorrow but set in an eternal future.

Phinda Private Game Reserve was one of the other great places I was able to visit, a private reserve where sustainability, constant care for the wildlife, and respon-sibility about the future are they key values. There we placed camera traps, anesthetized elephants in order to investigate their reproductive cycles, identified black rhinoceros, and took part of many concrete actions car-ried out by doctoral investigators in their efforts towards species preservation. This experience taught me how we have the ability of approaching our natural resources in a way that lets us obtain a product that is generated in a culture of conservation. It taught me about medi-cine, but also about determination, inspiration, cre-ativity, and effort, and the dire need to be formed in

a way that allows us to build our thoughts to be both autonomous and open to the world.

It is this journey towards a more primitive lifestyle that permits us to understand and respect nature’s wild-ness, so fierce, pure, and perfect, and allows us to ab-sorb all the sensations that it offers us, letting us to be a part of it.

The truth is, if we reflect about it, that the whole concept of “species” creates the opportunity of thinking about life through a door that connects the wildness of the world with the knowledge still to be discovered in medicine and technology, because now it is no longer solely about saving an animal, but about allowing it the opportunity of expressing its full potential, of fulfilling its natural role and being ecologically transcendent. We are not just curing wounds, healing the sick, treating pathologies, translocating animals; we are also giving them back what is their natural right, and we are al-lowing men to finally connect with life and its miracles in a different way. Nature needs veterinarians that are passionate, decisive, committed, and most importantly, able to embrace this new way of thinking. It needs vet-erinarians that will not settle, that will question what has been established because they are certain that the only way forward is paved with constant search for in-formation, training and knowledge, because nothing can be compared with what a well formed mind is able to generate, even in an empty room. That is what we are committing to, to be the best that we can be, be-cause it is up to us to integrate the health of one being with the dynamic processes that rule nature and all those who live in it.

Ana Carolina Rosas. Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, UNNE alumna. She is currently part of the staff from The Conservation Land Trust Argentina, dedicating specially to the projects that deal with rewilding, reinsertion and conser-vation of the fauna of the Iberá Wetlands. In addition to this, she holds a teaching position in the UNNE, in the subject of Surgery and Anaesthesiology in the Medical Veterinary Career.

Immobilization of a white rhinoceros. Even today, 2016, a constant battle is fought against the poaching of this great animal for the illegal sale of its horns. In the

picture, we can see an instant in the translocation of this animal, part of a larger effort where eleven rhinoceros

were translocated by veterinarian Dave Cooper and his team in two days’ work in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi.



General

The province of Corrientes presented the Master Plan for Iberá

With the presence of the National Minister of Tourism Gustavo Santos, governor Ricardo Colombi, and other provincial authorities, the Government House of the province of Corrientes hosted the presentation of the Master Plan for Iberá, an ambitious and thorough de-velopment plan that aims to transform the Iberá Park in the most important eco-tourism destination in Argentina.

In a massive act, Senator Flinta explained the dif-ferent sides of a proposal that puts as its final goal the strategic and planned development of the Iberá Park, something that will benefit more than twenty neighbouring communities and its 200.000 inhabit-ants. The main areas of the plan deal with key subjects like the planning and building of roads, infrastructure,

energy, water, and sewage system, the strengthening and continuous training of the people involved, dif-ferent projects with the local populations, and the development of a variety of ventures in connection with tourism and culture in several locations inside the Iberá.

This ambitious plan was developed by the Iberá Comitee, an interdisciplinary work group that counts within itself with representatives coming from different organisms from the provincial government, the nation-al government, CLT, The Yetapá Foundation, and that also counts with the support of the municipal govern-ments and the UNNE, among others.

Governer Colombi expressed: “Today we have a na-tional government that selected the Iberá as one of its banners, something proven by the President himself, and this allows to dedicate all of our efforts in this proj-ect. It is on us, the people of Corrientes, both the pri-vate and the public sector, to continue our work with the Master Plan for Iberá”.

In addition to this, Minister Santos also stated that “the Iberá will become a part of the most important touristic route in South America, together with Iguazú (Misiones), El Impenetrable (Chaco), and Bañando La Estrella (Formosa)”.

On the days leading up to this presentation Minister Santos, together with Senator Flinta and other members of the Committee, visited Iberá’s accesses stopping by Concepcion and Colonia Carlos Pellegrini, in order to get more profoundly acquainted with its natural beauty, its delicious local food, and its people. Presentation of the Master Plan for Iberá.



Iberá in Tecnópolis

The “shining waters” made an appearance in Buenos Aires.With an imposing booth and cutting edge technology, Corrientes surprised its visitors inviting them to dis-cover the fascinating world of the Iberá Wetlands that can be found inside the large, dome-shaped stand as-sembled in Tecnópolis.

Equipped with 360º screens and movement sensors, the visit quickly morphs into an adventure that shows one of the most breath-taking corners of Argentina and all its spectacular wildlife, and where the audience has to discover the inhabitants of the Wetlands that hide in its forests, tall grass, and savannahs.

Rangers that actually work in the province receive and assist the visitors, telling them about everything they do in the protection of this great park, where are the accesses they can use to visit it, and all the eco-touristic

activities that continuously take place. Do not miss it! The jaguars, strange-tailed tyrants,

deers and yacaré caimans await you to share an unfor-gettable experience in which the Iberá Wetlands shine brightly from the heart of the great city of Buenos Aires.

Iberá’s stand in Tecnópolis.

Information: The stand will remain open until October, 2016. Schedule: Thursday and Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, Sundays, and holidays from 12 pm to 8 pm.Av. De los Constituyemtes, Vicente Lopez, Buenos Aires. Phone: 011 3383-2432



Iberá workshop in Buenos AiresThanks to the combined efforts of the Government of Corrientes, the Tourism Federation of Corrientes, and the Tourism Chamber of Iberá, and with the collabora-tion of the Iberá Committee and the National Tourism Ministry, the City of Buenos Aires became the chosen stage for the “Iberá Wetlands Workshop”, which took place in the Panamerican Hotel.

With the goal of generating a space for the promo-tion and commercialization of different products from the Iberá Wetlands, the workshop counted with the presence of all the locations, touristic chambers, and service providers’ associations that are involved in the region. Together, they worked in the search of new mar-kets for Iberá, and ways to promote its incorporation to the tourism industry in a local, national and inter-national context. Several queries about Iberá were raised and discussed.

Kristine Mc Divitt Tompkins.

Events

Tribute to Douglas TompkinsThe past August 18th, in a night filled with memories and emotion in front of more than eight hundred peo-ple, the Rural of Buenos Aires hosted a well-deserved tribute in honour of Douglas Tompkins.

“To honour means to remember, to go back into the past with both smiles and tears, to accept once again that a beloved person is truly gone, but somehow, also still here. Tears and emotions were all around us, yes, but in the midst of all that – and among so many dif-ferent people – there was a feeling, a shared belief, an almost natural and unavoidable duty to continue the legacy of this American activist, business man, and con-servationist, a man who had found in Argentina and Chile his place in the world, his cause worth fighting for, his starting point from where he showed us that



biodiversity is something that can and must be pro-tected at all costs.” (Tais Gadea).

The event opened with the words of President of CLT Argentina Sofia Heinonen, Douglas Tompkins’ wife Kristine Tompkins, CLT Director of Conservation Ignacio Jiménez, Vice-president of National Parks Emiliano Ezcurra, Senator of Corrientes Sergio Flinta, National Minister of Environment Sergio Bergman, and photographer and personal friend of Douglas Tompkins Antonio Vizcaino. Before finishing, Kristine also in-troduced the great staff that is part of the Foundation and works with her every day, inviting to the stage all those who were present from the Argentinian, Chilean and USA teams.

The National Minister of Environment, Sergio Bergman, greeting Kristine Tompkins. The picture

also shows Vice-president of APN Emiliano Ezcurra, and Senator of Corrientes Sergio Flinta.

Antonio Vizcaino, Kris Tompkins and the present staff of CLT Argentina, Chile, and USA.

Video of the event: https://youtu.be/sJiUglgu7V4

Documents

Wetlands Newsletter - Proyecto Iberá · pas deer, the aguará guazú, and a wide selection of birds. The passing of this provincial law represents an es-sential step in the process