By Tabaré Barreto – Ambiente Sur
In 1992 the Atlantic Coast of Tierra del Fuego Reserve (Reserva Costa Atlántica de Tierra del Fuego) was designated as a Site of Hemispheric Importance in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN), thanks to the coordinated work of the government of the Province of Tierra del Fuego and the Municipality of the city of Río Grande, in Argentina. The site plays host to large numbers of Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica), White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) and Two-banded Plover (Charadrius falklandicus), as well as American Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) and other migratory shorebirds that arrive every year from the Canadian Arctic and other Argentine provinces.
The Atlantic Coast of Tierra del Fuego Reserve consists of 220 kilometers of coast a diverse mix of beaches and cliffs, and three areas along this vast extension are especially important because of their importance for migratory shorebirds: Bahía San Sebastián, the city of Río Grande, and Cabo Auricosta.
The Atlantic Coast of Tierra del Fuego Reserve is administrated by the General Directorate of Conservation and Biodiversity (Dirección General de Conservación y Biodiversidad), a division of the Secretariat of the Environment of the Province of Tierra del Fuego (Secretaría de Ambiente de la Provincia de Tierra del Fuego). The Municipality of Río Grande is also a strategic partner of the reserve, as the city shares a border with the boundary of the protected area and is one of the localities hosting the greatest abundance of shorebirds. One of the recent achievements at the site has been the creation of a Technical Advisory Board bringing together various government, educational and civil institutions that are stakeholders in the management of the protected area. This group discusses different problems that the site faces, and has created a non-binding agenda that acts as a guide for good governance.
In the last 30 years, the city of Río Grande has undergone a population explosion, expanding from close to 15,000 inhabitants to more than 100,000 over this period. The growth of the city has had impacts on the shorebirds, principally affecting their resting sites which have been invaded by coastal development. The recreation activities of local people can have negative effects on the birds. For example, people walking their dogs on the beaches disturb birds during their feeding periods and repeatedly flush entire flocks. Another concern for local conservationists is the reduction in the population of the Red Knot, which numbered 5000 birds in 1979, but was down to just 130 individuals in the latest censuses.
Fortunately, this discouraging outlook is offset by the constant efforts of the partners and other institutions which collaborate for the conservation of the site, undertaking censuses and running birdwatching expeditions for schools, community participation programs and, for the last 12 years, a Bird Festival!
Thanks to the work carried out with WHSRN, between 2019 and 2020 there has been regular monitoring of disturbances to the shorebirds, and a questionnaire was implemented to understand the opinions of the visitors to the site. These efforts, undertaken by the Asociación Ambiente Sur and the Estepa Viva Foundation (Fundación Estepa Viva), allow us to better understand the different threats that the birds face during their austral summer stay at the site (from October to March each year).
It was found that the principal disturbance affecting the resting birds was caused by people walking on the beach, and that walkers did not alter their path when encountering a flock of birds. The answers revealed that more than half of the people believed that the birds would simply fly to another, safer place, and thus their presence had no negative effects. It was also discovered that dogs being walked off their leash caused significant disturbance almost as great as that of walkers. Having less of an impact, but still problematic, where the presence of anglers, and the use of motorbikes or quad bikes on the beach.
Using the results of these questionnaires as a base, a communication campaign was launched over the last year entitled “Compartamos la playa fueguina” (“We Share the Fuegian beach”) (www.compartamoslaplayafueguina.com.ar). Monitoring studies are also being conducted on the benthic fauna in the intertidal area, and on populations of shorebirds in the city of Río Grande and rural zones.
The most relevant result of the conservation actions carried out from 2019 to date was the creation of a set of rules to regulate the behavior of visitors in the critical sites for shorebirds on urban beaches. The Secretariat of the Environment of the Province of Tierra del Fuego, approved Resolution Nº 119-21 by which three beaches near the mouth of Río Grande river, approximately 5 linear kilometers of coastline, are declared as “sensitive sites for migratory shorebirds”. This ruling seeks to restrict the access of people and their pets during key periods of rest and feeding for shorebirds.
This resolution comes into effect on October 1, 2021. The challenge will be to reach the community of Río Grande with a clear message, that does not confuse biodiversity protection with restrictions of their personal liberties, and ultimately aims to continue the process of community education towards “learning to share”.
These activities are part of the project “Conserving Shorebirds in Two WHSRN sites in Argentina”, within the framework of the Coalitions for the Conservation of Shorebirds, made possible by the BAND and Bobolink Foundations, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Partners participating in the project include the Secretariat of the Environment of the Province of Tierra del Fuego (Secretaría de Ambiente de la Provincia de Tierra del Fuego) and the Municipality of Río Grande, and is coordinated by the Asociación Ambiente Sur with the participation of the Estepa Viva Foundation.
For more information contact Project Coordinator Tabaré Barreto of the Asociación Ambiente Sur. Email: tierradelfuego@ambientesur.org.ar .
Cover Photo: Hudsonian Godwits (Lmosa haemastica) in Bahía San Sebastián. Photo: Luis Benegas.
