In August 2017, when Lagoa do Peixe National Park was threatened by a potential change in protected status, the WHSRN Executive Office and partner organization SAVE Brasil convened a workshop in Porto Alegre, Brazil to develop an action plan to resolve the conflict over the future of the Park. The workshop brought together park authorities and local stakeholders to assess the conflict and agree upon strategic next steps to protect the status of the park.
Lagoa do Peixe was declared a national park in 1986 primarily for its importance as a stopover and wintering area for migratory shorebirds. In 1990 it was declared a WHSRN Site of International Importance, due to holding more than 10% of the Atlantic coast population of Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica) and the rufa subspecies of Red Knot (Calidris canutus). Since then, it has also been designated as a Ramsar Site, a core area within the UNESCO Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve, and as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA).
The park is also one of the principal wintering sites for Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficolis). This species is considered globally near-threatened, in large part linked to land use changes on working agricultural lands throughout its wintering area. Livestock grazing is a key tool to manage and maintain the short-grass habitat that Buff-breasted Sandpipers depend on, especially in priority wintering sites in Argentina, Uruguay and, of course, Brazil, in places like Lagoa do Peixe National Park.
WHSRN and SAVE Brasil have been able to carry out workshops to address the threats at Lagoa do Peixe thanks to support from the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA), as part of the project “Conservation of Buff-breasted Sandpipers in South America.”
Left: The co-facilitators of the workshops with local land owners. Right: Red Knots in the beach sector of Lagoa do Peixe National Park. Photos: Diego Luna Quevedo
To continue the momentum built during the 2017 workshop, a second workshop was held 10 months later, in mid-June 2018. This second workshop helped participants analyze the current situation at the park, review progress achieved since the action plan was written last year, and discuss how to update the plan to address current threats. Both the 2017 and 2018 workshops were facilitated by Juliana Bosi de Almeida, Project Manager for BirdLife/SAVE Brasil, and Diego Luna Quevedo, Conservation Specialist with the WHSRN Executive Office.
Some of the participants in the 2018 workshop. Photo: Diego Luna Quevedo
This latest workshop made it possible to update the action plan, which is now focused on strengthening and improving management practices in the National Park. The updated plan includes actions such as a public outreach campaign to involve the local community, direct communication with fisher people and private landowners, and updating the habitat management plan.
At the end of the workshop, participants united to form the Lagoa do Peixe National Park Coalition. The Coalition will be a group of national and international organizations that will coordinate projects and initiatives to help achieve the goals of the action plan. Every workshop participant agreed to join, and they plan to involve organizations that weren’t at the workshop, as well.
For more information about this process, write to Juliana Bosi de Almeida, Project Manager for BirdLife/SAVE Brasil at juliana.almeida@savebrasil.org.br
