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Convention on biological diversity


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Overview of the Project

The ultimate objective of the project is to develop and implement an integrated management strategy for the High Andean wetlands of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru to conserve flamingos and associated fauna.


There are two specific project objectives. The first is to develop and implement a research program that permits the standardisation of biological and ecological knowledge on the flamingos in their distributional range.7 The second is to develop and implement a management plan to conserve the flamingos and their habitat according to the environmental policies of each country.8
There are four expected results of the project. First will be improved co-operation between the range states to manage the flamingos and conserve their wetland habitat. Second, it is envisaged that co-operation will be materialised by developing specific legislation or agreements (e.g., a Memorandum of Understanding under CMS). Third, co-operation will be operationalised by a conservation and management plan for the concerted management of wintering sites and/or the design of international protected areas in the participating countries. Each one of the participating range states would implement this. Fourth and finally, the key wintering areas of the James and Andean Flamingos will be identified (especially those outside of the known breeding range). These will include lakes that support young individuals.

Research Methods

In 1996, an integrated task force, the Conservation Group for the High Andean Flamingos (GPCFA in Spanish), was organised under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species. The national participants from each country oversee their respective countries’ wetlands.


In Chile, the participating groups included CONAF (Corporación Nacional Forestal, Chile) with initial support of the Wildlife Conservation Society. Funding was provided in part by mining companies like Doña Ines at Collahuasi, Escondida Ltda., Quiborax, SQM Salar and Arturo Prat University, Iquique, Chile. Fifty lagoons and wetlands were covered before 1996.
In Argentina the regional Northeast National Park System and the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Salta took the responsibility over Argentinean wetlands. In Peru, INRENA was initially involved, and later Peru Verde conducted fieldwork. In Bolivia, the Biodiversity General Direction under the Sustainable Development and Environmental vice-Ministry, plus investigators from local universities, are involved and oversee the Bolivian component. The project started with more than 150 wetlands, most of them “islands” in an extreme arid region with mostly unpredictable rainfall.

Research Results

Research activity has been focused mainly on the flagship species: the flamingos. It was aimed at periodic control of their population in all of their ornithogeographical distribution.


Summer censuses 1997 and 1998 showed that the dominant species of flamingos in the Puna of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru was the James flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi). A total of 47,619 individuals were counted during 1997 while 64,101 individuals were counted during summer 1998. While 10,703 individuals were counted in the summer of 1999. A drop to 3,430 individuals was recorded during the summer of 2000. The winter census also fluctuated between 1,412 to 64,101 individuals during 1998 (probably due to effect of the El Niño event).
This species is distributed in Bolivia where it nests in Colorada lagoon, a protected area of that country. Up to 3000 chicks are produced annually and the site is considered a major concentration point for the species. In Chile the breeding areas of importance are Salar de Pujsa (Antofagasta) and Salar de Surire in the Tarapacá region (Ramsar site). Both are part of the Chilean Natural System of Protected Areas.
The second species of major abundance is the Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) with 39,089 individuals counted during summer 1995; 25,783 during 1998; 9,983 during 1999; and 10,268 individuals during summer 2000. The decline is due to the lack of information and census for the southern Peruvian wetlands for these years, which were affected by the El Niño event. Winter censuses varied between 4,155 to 43,340 individuals in winter 1998 (El Niño effect). The Surire saline lake increased its population of this species during those years, reaching 8000 individuals in January 1997 and a mixed colony of this and the Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus) appeared. The Chilean flamingo population produced at least 5000 chicks.
The Andean flamingo is the species with fewest numbers of birds. Census showed 33,927 individuals during summer 1997; 27,803 during 1998; 16,351 in 1999; and 14,592 during summer 2000. Winter census figures showed between 2147 to 27,803 individuals during winter 1998 (also due to El Niño event).
The decline during the summer counts occurred due to probable movements of this species to saline lakes not covered by the simultaneous census activity of Argentina and Bolivia. Reproductive colonies of this species, historically established in the high Andes of Chile have not been as frequent and significant as before. Isolated breeding attempts have occurred in Surire, Huasco and Atacama saline lakes which are not comparable to the large breeding occurrences during 1989 when, for this species, 16,000 chicks hatched in Chile.
A conservation plan formulated for the species during 1995 by CONAF included the building of artificial nests and water-wave crashers to avoid nest destruction. This was agreed between CONAF and Minera Escondida Ltda. during 1998.
It is clear from the experience obtained in former studies and during this international co-ordinated effort, that in addition to their shrinking and fluctuating populations these flamingo species are vulnerable because:


  • they are colonial breeders, which gather, in big numbers to breed only in selected wetlands and then not every year. Conserving these sites is essential: Salar de Atacama, Salar de Surire, Salar de Maricunga and Negro Francisco in Chile, Laguna Colorada in Bolivia;

  • Flamingos migrate seasonally in altitude, using several wetlands in different countries throughout the year;

  • Flamingos are concentrated in Altiplano wetlands during the summer;

  • Flamingos are specialist feeders; and

  • Eggs are an attractive and accessible food resource for the local people.

Currently, more than 207 sites are being monitored and surveyed: Argentina with 86 wetlands; Bolivia with 53; Chile with 47; and, Peru with 21 sites. This is quite an achievement considering the geography, limited access to the areas (road system) and high altitude. That the area covered is immense is also worth pointing out.


The interactions among countries’ institutions have been very positive and this has contributed to achieving the results. The spirit of co-operation promises to continue as the results are subsequently directed towards addressing the main conservation issues of the international project.
Banding programmes results have not been yet published and evaluated for success in revealing how the flamingos move within habitats and countries and their probable causes. Thus far, only 3% of banded flamingos in a Chilean programme have been re-sighted and very few have been recovered in other countries.
This initiative could further implement bio-telemetric studies or the selective use of PTT and satellite tracking to increase knowledge of species population mobility in the realm of wetlands in the Altiplano. This would demand technical inputs, qualified personnel – researchers - and more financial support. Steps are being taken with private mining enterprises in Chile to address the technological needs.
It is necessary to resolve problems and dialogue (and negotiate) with mining enterprises in order to restrict water use, habitat alteration and pollution. Water demand is a key issue and it will become more difficult if other issues are not addressed. For example, how to save water during the surplus rainfalls that accompany El Niño events? Mining companies should conduct research on how to solve the problem of saving and using water.
Grazing seems to be another problem and solutions have to be studied for llamas, alpaca livestock, sheep and the wild stock of guanaco and vicuña which overgraze pastures and change the hydrological dynamics in the Altiplano’s mostly endorreic watersheds. This has to be addressed also by state institutions in charge of such range management problems. Declining vegetation cover is a problem in arid and harsh climatic Altiplano conditions.
Tourism is increasing in Latin-American countries and the impacts of this activity need to be well studied and addressed.
Road building is a problem. It has to be restricted to a well-planned system in order to avoid habitat fragmentation and drainage alterations.
Most of these problems have been presented in Threat Identification Charts and Impact Indexes in the advance reports to CMS. Each country has their own scaled activities: Chile is vulnerable to mining, water demand and tourism; Argentina has more problems with grazing, mining, water demand and road building; mostly mining and tourism also affect Bolivia. The profits obtained by mining companies could be discussed and shared with conservation actions, like salaries for wardens and specific projects to solve mining pollution and their water demand problems in relation to habitat and wildlife.
Many questions still remain to be answered as the rest of the project is developed and implemented. For example, are there enough existing protected areas both in number and representation to cover flamingo movements and dispersal? What will it cost to create new ones? How well is each protected area’s management plan implemented? What priority does the region or a country give to this ecosystem to be studied? How successful has the integrated Altiplano group been in addressing the objectives and hypothesis which were distributed to different institutions like the Wildlife Conservation Society, Wetlands for the Future (Ramsar Convention), CMS and the never ending support of local institutions? Has the US $50,000 dollar investment been worth the effort and achieved its goals? What are the countries’ political, technical and financial commitments to implement and support this type of project?
Workshops are needed at least once or twice a year to enable participants to interact, evaluate progress, share experiences and develop new techniques. More workshops would also help facilitate the participation of mining companies, state institutions related to ministries about water, road building, national park services and local communities. Once the main projects are finished scientific symposia should be organised to evaluate data and scientific progress and promote publication in known scientific journals. A good example is the Waterbird Journal Special Edition (2000) that was dedicated to neo-tropical flamingo studies.
With this project it is hoped that the flamingos which act as indicator/key/flag species of the High Andes Altiplano wetlands, and other biological resources which characterise the Puna biodiversity, can be saved and maintained. The area has been recognised by the Biodiversity Support Program as a vulnerable and high priority ecosystem for conservation.
Valdivia, Chile, 1st February 2001

Annex 1 - Integrated International Activities Performed in Relation to Flamingo Conservation Actions
1996


  • Establishment of an international working group (called the Group for the Conservation of High Andean Flamingos)

  • 1st International Workshop for Census Co-ordination. San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

(supported by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and CONAF)
1997


  • 1st International Summer Census (WCS and national institutions)

  • 1st Workshop on Flamingo Banding. Salar de Surire, Chile (CONAF)


1998


  • 2nd International Summer Census, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru.

(WCS and national support)

  • Workshop on Management of Projects. La Paz, Bolivia. (Wetlands for the Future (Ramsar Office) and local institutions)

  • 1st International Winter Census (financed mainly by local institutions)

  • Capacity Building Workshop on Integrated Management of High Andean Wetlands, Monitoring Ecological Conditions and Key Species (All four countries) (Cieneguillas, Jujuy Province, Argentina. Wetlands for the Future, Universidad de Salta and National Park Administration from Argentina)

  • Preliminary International Winter Census. Four countries ((WCS) and local institutions of these countries)

  • International Flamingo Meeting, Miami, Florida, USA; Presentation of two abstracts


1999


  • Training for the Integrated Management of Puna wetlands (Laguna Colorada, Bolivia. Wetlands for the Future and local institutions)

  • 2nd International Winter Census (CMS and local institutions) (Suspended)

  • Training Workshop for the Management of High Andean Wetlands. Evaluation of Industrial Impacts on these wetlands. Atacama and Surire, Chile (Wetlands for the Future and local institutions)

  • Workshop on Conservation and Management Proposal: Concerted management among the 4 countries, Salta, Argentina (CMS funds and co-operation of local institutions)

  • Memorandum of Understanding among countries’ institutions in relation to the Conservation and Management of High Andean Flamingos; first approaches and discussions (CMS)


2000


  • 4th International summer census.

  • 2nd International Winter census (CMS Funds and local institutions)

  • GEF Project proposal: Priority Actions for the Conservation of the High-Andean Flamingos. UNEP/CMS; one of the aims of this is also to establish a three-country wide protected area to be managed in an integrated way; 1st step approved (PDF-A grant)


2001


  • 5th International Summer Census

  • GEF Project proposal, 2nd step (PDF-B grant) to be accomplished

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* UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/6/1.

1 International Programme Co-ordinator, Wetlands International; <Boere@Wetlands.agro.nl>

2 NB: The information presented does not give a complete picture of every activity or initiative in this field. Instead this study provides an overview of the major projects and programmes presently in place.


3 Senior Scientist, NOAA Fisheries, Department of Commerce, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, PO Box 271, La Jolla, CA 92038 USA;


4 Comment added by the CMS and ASCOBANS Secretariats

5 Centre for Development Research, Walter-Flex-Straße 3, D - 53113 Bonn, Germany; phone: int+228-731872; fax: +228-731869; k.riede.zfmk@uni-bonn.de

6 CMS Scientific Councilor for the Neotropics. Institute of Zoology, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile; < rschlatt@uach.cl>.



7 Objective 1 priority actions include: Developing studies about species (e.g., abundance and distribution; migratory pattern; description and characterisation of habitat types and their use; climatic background) and Addressing Conservation Problems (e.g., impact evaluation studies related to mining and industrial activities; tourism; water use; flamingos as resources including their feathers/plumage, eggs and others; pollution; and presence of human settlements).

8 Objective 2 priority actions include: (1) characterising levels of biological interactions between flamingos with inter alia other Altiplano species such as, vicuña, horned coot, shorebirds and Andean goose, as well as related socio-economic aspects; (2) reinforcing the wild protected area system by improving the established conditions of existing areas or creating new ones where they are necessary; (3) implementing a GIS that permits data gathering and storage to analyse flamingo abundance and distribution and the fluctuation in their numbers; (4) designing and applying legal and technical frameworks to regulate the use and exploitation of mineral resources as well as water in the High Andean wetlands; (5) extending and spreading information on the legal and technical frameworks to the political, administrative, public and private sector stakeholders involved with this ecosystems; (6) establishing an environmental educational program focused on local communities in relation to the High Andean lakes; and (7) preparing and implementing agreements between the range states in order to develop a common policy, to apply legal and technical elements and back up the establishment of a technical group that will oversee the multidisciplinary and integrated framework developed.

/…


For reasons of economy, this document is printed in a limited number. Delegates are kindly requested to bring their copies to meetings and not to request additional copies


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