The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) started 2022 by announcing the addition of the Network’s 113th site, Albufera Mar Chiquita in Argentina.
The WHSRN Hemispheric Council, unanimously designated Albufera Mar Chiquita as a WHSRN Site of Regional Importance. With this designation, Albufera Mar Chiquita becomes the tenth WHSRN site in Argentina. It joins a network of 112 other sites across North and South America that make up critical shorebird habitat.
Albufera Mar Chiquita is located in the province of Buenos Aires along Argentina’s Atlantic coast, covering a total of 55,000 hectares. The site contains a coastal saltwater lagoon, which connects to the ocean by a narrow estuary but is otherwise separated from the ocean by a stretch of dunes approximately 30 km long. Albufera Mar Chiquita is surrounded by the protected lands of a nature reserve and wildlife refuge, which are both under the jurisdiction of the Department of Natural Protected Areas, administered by the Ministry of Environment of the Province of Buenos Aires.
Albufera Mar Chiquita was designated a Site of Regional Importance because it supports more than 1% the biogeographic populations of Two-banded Plover (Charadrius falklandicus), Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica), and Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa). A total of 18,000 shorebirds have been observed using the site annually, and it is estimated that the total number of shorebirds that visit Albufera Mar Chiquita probably exceeds 20,000 individuals per year. Studies conducted between June 2020 and May 2021 complemented historical data and confirmed the area’s vital importance for these species.
Left: rufa Red Knot . Right: Hudsonian Godwit. Photos: Natalia Martínez-Curci.
“This designation will allow us to increase research projects, both in terms of the biology and ecology of shorebirds, as well as [shorebirds’] role as indicators of the conservation status of our area,” says Micaela Ogas Soler, a biologist at the Mar Chiquita Nature Reserve which abuts the new WHSRN site. “This research will give us the necessary tools to define lines of action oriented to the conservation of this group of birds.”
Some of the main threats facing the area include urban development, increased unplanned tourism, and vehicular traffic on the beach. During the summer and on weekends, large numbers of visitors to Albufera Mar Chiquita bring more disruptions with kite surfing and the presence of off-leash dogs that disturb the shorebirds while they are resting and feeding.
“It has been a great experience to put together the nomination of the site together between the Institute of Marine and Coastal Research (UNMdP-CONICET) and the Ministry of Environment of the Province of Buenos Aires as it allowed us to reflect years of collaborative work between the two institutions and strengthen ties to enhance the work for the conservation of the site and its shorebirds” says Natalia Martínez-Curci, CONICET researcher at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Research (IIMyC / UNMdP-CONICET).
The local community surrounding Albufera Mar Chiquita is committed to environmental causes and to the protection of birds in particular. In Albufera Mar Chiquita, there are different owners of the fields that are under the conservation status of the Wildlife Refuge. The Ministry of the Environment of the Province of Buenos Aires is the managing authority of the area and works together with the local landowners in conservation tasks. In addition, the site’s neighbors are
organized in a Sociedad de Fomento (Development Society) a civil organization that develops activities for the benefit of the community and seeks to be a model of sustainability for other development societies in the country.
Aerial view of the new WHSRN site Albufera Mar Chiquita. Photo courtesy of Mar Chiquita Municipality.
“The incorporation of Mar Chiquita into WHSRN allows us to advance the objectives of the National Plan for the Conservation of Shorebirds in Argentina and to help fulfill international commitments assumed by the country for the conservation of migratory species,” Martínez-Curci says.
Congratulations to the partners of the Ministry of Environment of the Province of Buenos Aires and the Institute of Marine and Coastal Research for their commitment to conserving Albufera Mar Chiquita and for nominating it as a new WHSRN site, recognizing the importance of the area for shorebirds.
To learn more, visit Albufera Mar Chiquita’s profile on WHSRN’s website
Cover Photo: rufa Red Knots at a beach of WHSRN site Albufera Mar Chiquita, Argentina. Photo: Natalia Martínez-Curci.
