Emiliano Donadio
Other projects
29 May 2008
Conserving the Last of the Wild: Pumas, Wild Camlids and Biodiversity in the Semiarid Landscapes of the Argentinean Andes
31 Oct 2013
Where the Wild Things are: Conserving Puma-Camelid-Condor Interactions in the High Andes of South America
This project will extend existing research on threats to the South American camelid population to 6 additional reserves in north-western and central Argentina.
Vicunia bachelor group, San Guillermo National Park
South American camelids (SAC), guanacos and vicuñas, have dramatically declined by more than 90% during the last century due to human related activities. In north-western Argentina, relict SAC populations are mostly isolated in protected areas, where poaching coupled with puma predation seem to play a main role affecting SAC abundance and persistence.
Preliminary data collected in 3 reserves showed that poaching was common in some, and puma predation was high in all reserves, raising concerns about the extent to which reserves effectively protect SAC and predation impacts their numerically reduced populations within these reserves. We propose to extend our research on SAC flight behaviour and puma predation to 6 additional reserves of north-western and central Argentina to assess the degree to which SAC are being protected not at a local but at regional scale.