It is twilight in Las Horquetas valley in Patagonia’s northern Aysén region. Several cars have pulled over beneath sandy cliffs on a wide paved road. Just metres away, three deer graze unperturbed in the glow of the car lights. The Patagonian huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus), or South Andean deer, is the most endangered hoofed animal in […]
Tag: Patagonia
Argentina creates two new marine parks to protect penguins, sea lions
Argentina has officially created two large marine protected areas: the Yaganes Marine National Park, lying off of the country’s southern tip, and the Namuncurá-Burdwood Bank II Marine National Park in the South Atlantic. Together, the two parks cover a total area of about 98,000 square kilometers (37,000 square miles). By designating these two marine parks, […]
23 Condors Killed by Poison in Argentina
23 Andean Condors have been killed in Patagonia, Argentina, by a strong pesticide whose sale is prohibited in the country. These attacks follow ones in Jujuy and Mendoza provinces, and have conservation organizations extremely worried, as they represent a severe threat to the species. At least 23 Andean Condors (Vulture gryphus) have been poisoned in […]
25,000 seabirds die in southern cone fisheries every year
The turbulent waters around the southern part of South America are some of the most productive in the world, with upwellings of nutrients that support a whole suite of species. Along the Patagonian Shelf to the east, around the southern tip of the continent at Cape Horn and up into the Humboldt Current to the […]
Protecting the penguins of Patagonia
“It is with some consternation that seabird biologists return to colonies they haven’t visited for many years. The hand of man has seen many colonies around the world dwindle or even vanish.” Fortunately, for some species a little conservation goes a long way. Esteban Frere, South America Coordinator for BirdLife’s Marine Programme, started his career […]
New study reveals alarming decline of Patagonian geese
In the early 20th century, tens of thousands of Ruddy-headed Geese crowded the deserts of Patagonia. Today, they have become a rare sight. However, they still inhabit the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) in large numbers and some argue that these island-dwellers could be the key to one day repopulating the continental. However, in a blow for […]
Two new iguanid lizard species from the Laja Lagoon, Chile
A team of Chilean scientists discover two new species of iguanid lizards from the Laja Lagoon, Chile. The two new species are believed to have been long confused with other representatives of the elongatus-kriegi lizard complex, until recent morphological analysis diagnosed them as separate. The study was published in the 500th issue of the open […]
Penguins suffering from climate change, scientists say
Penguins are in peril because of extreme environmental conditions linked to climate change, research has shown. Two new studies highlight the plight of penguin colonies trying to cope with the effects of global warming in Argentina and Antarctica. At both locations, the beguiling birds face an uncertain future. Climate change is killing chicks from the […]