Luis Enrique Lozano Aguilar
The Valdivian rainforest is one of the ecoregions with the smallest geographic extent in Argentina, limited to a narrow and discontinuous strip in the east of the Andes, but it holds a high biodiversity and has an irreplaceable conservation value. Unfortunately, the Valdivian rainforest remnants are severely threatened by cattle grazing, wildfires (which are becoming more frequent and extended due to the effects of climate change), logging and unmanaged tourism activities. The amphibian diversity of the Valdivian rainforest is over-threatened in comparison with the other ecoregions of the country, with habitat loss and climate change the main drivers of amphibian decline. This project will focus on the conservation of the threatened amphibians of the Valdivian rainforest by preserving the scarce wetlands on which they depend for survival and tackling the effects of climate crisis, through the following actions:
Batrachyla antartandica. ©Marcelo Bonino.
1) Establishing a long-term wetland monitoring program using passive acoustic monitoring (MAP) to assess the impact of livestock and extreme weather events on the Valdivian rainforest wetlands, using amphibians as indicators of health of these aquatic habitats.
2) Develop workshops, informative talks, and audiovisual tools in collaboration with National Parks Administration personnel to promote attitude change among local livestock producers, to reduce the impact of livestock grazing on Valdivian rainforest wetlands.
3) Raise awareness among the local public community and visitors to Nahuel Huapi and Lago Puelo National Parks about the importance of conservation of Valdivian rainforest wetlands and its amphibian diversity. This will be achieved through community talks and the installation of signage with QR codes linking to audio libraries, offering immersive experiences of the acoustic landscapes in these environments.
These actions are valuable given the limited knowledge about the importance of preserving the wetlands of the Valdivian rainforests within the local community, the increasing threat of uncontrolled livestock in protected natural areas, and the scarce available information on the natural history of Patagonian endangered amphibians.
Header: Batrachyla antartandica. ©Marcelo Bonino.