WHSRN Argentine National Council
Members - Documents - Actions - Brief History- Photos
About Us
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The Argentine National Council of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) comprises two representatives from each WHSRN site in Argentina. The Council is a mechanism for advancing the WHSRN mission in Argentina: to conserve shorebird species and their habitats through a network of key sites throughout the Americas.
Objectives of the Argentine Council
- Promote coordinated, continuous, and collaborative action and management between partners and WHSRN sites in Argentina for effective conservation.
- Design, implement, and bi-annually monito the Council's Action Plan, including evaluation and accountability.
- Manage the resources (technical, human, and financial) necessary for the Council's action.
- Facilitate continuous and effective communication between the WHSRN Executive Office and its partners in Argentina.
- Represent the interests of Argentine WHSRN sites before the WHSRN Hemispheric Council.
- Propose possible new council members and/or replace inactive ones.
- Build national partnerships to strengthen and enhance the Council's work.
- Promote the identification and designation of new sites and/or landscapes for inclusion within WHSRN.
Council Members
Members of the WHSRN Argentine National Council for each site (as of December 2010) are:
Marshes of Río Dulce y Laguna Mar Chiquita
- Dr. Enrique H. Bucher, National University of Córdoba-Center for Applied Zoology
- Mg. Erio Curto, MAR Foundation
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- Lic. Mirta Carbajal, Inalafquen Foundation
- Téc. Zonia Sawicki, Inalafquen Foundation
- Mg. Silvia Ferrari, National University of Patagonia
- Téc. Germán Montero, Southern Environment Association
Atlantic Coast Reserve - Tierra del Fuego
- Téc. Tabaré Barreto, Directorate of Protected Areas and Biodiversity in Tierra del Fuego
- Sr. Luis Benegas, Municipal Museum of Virginia Choquintel City
The Argentine Council is currently chaired by Mg. Erio Curto, representative of the Marshes of Río Dulce y Laguna Mar Chiquita site and president of MAR Foundation.
Council Documents
Council Terms of Reference (PDF, 110 KB)
Action Plan 2010 - 2012 (.xls, 365 KB)
Council Activities
Through the years, the WHSRN Argentine National Council has undertaken various efforts and actions that are making important strides toward effective conservation of shorebirds and their habitats in Argentina. Here is a brief summary:
Participation in annual meetings of the WHSRN Hemispheric Council, held in Mexico (2008), Colombia (2009), Panama (2010), and USA (2011).
Annual meetings of the Argentine Council:
- June 2010 in Miramar (Córdoba)
- October 2009 in Río Gallegos (Santa Cruz)
- March 2008 in San Martín de los Andes (Neuquén)
Signing of the Inter-municipal Agreement among local governments with WHSRN sites in their jurisdiction: Las Grutas, Río Negro (March 2010).
Strategic planning and capacity building:
- Workshop on "Strengthening of technical capacities in the Western Hemisphere for adapting to climate change in coastal shorebird habitats of the Southern Cone" (Rio Gallegos, October 2009)
- Workshop on "Planning Strategies for the Recovery of Shorebirds in Patagonia" (Río Gallegos, October 2009)
- Workshop of "WHSRN Argentine Council: Shorebird Conservation in Argentina" (Miramar, Córdoba, June 2010)
Mar Chiquita Delcaration (PDF, 81 KB)
Research and monitoring of the Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) in sites in Patagonia, as part of the project: "Recovering Knots, Oystercatchers, and Other Priority Shorebirds," Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences.
Pride Campaigns in Patagonia: Three Pride campaigns were successfully carried out at these sites:
- Río Grande (Atlantic Coast Reserve of Tierra del Fuego) by Biosphere Foundation;
- Río Gallegos (Santa Cruz) by Southern Environment Associacion; and
- San Antonio Oeste (Río Negro) by Inalafquen Foundation.
The campaigns were co-financed by Rare and the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences.
Declarations of Interest for Shorebird Conservation
Provincial Declaration of Interest—with the force of law— for the conservation of migratory shorebirds and their habitats:
- Honorable House of Representatives of Santa Cruz Province - September 2010
- Honorable House of Representatives of Río Negro Province - December 2010
National Declaration of Interest by the Argentine House of Representatives for the work being carried out by the WHSRN Argentine Council in relation to the conservation of shorebirds and their habitats.
Brief History of the Council
The WHSRN Argentine National Council originated in 2005 when a group of colleagues involved in the conservation of shorebirds gathered in Buenos Aires for the 11th meeting of the Argentine Ornithologists. Facilitated by Dr. Charles Duncan (Director, WHSRN Executive Office), the interested parties discussed and exchanged proposals based on the idea of establishing a National Council to "facilitate the WHSRN mission in Argentina".
The WHSRN Argentine National Council was formally created in November 2007 in the town of Las Grutas, Provincia de Río Negro, when Dr. Duncan and representatives of three of the WHSRN sites in Argentina (San Antonio Bay, Rio Gallegos Estuary, and Atlantic Coast Reserve of Tierra del Fuego) gathered there for the inauguration of the “Vuelo Latitud 40” Nature Interpretation Center. At that time, the group agreed on a preliminary structure of two representatives from each site. They elected a president, Carlos Albrieu, who remained in that position until mid-2010.
Photo Gallery
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 Nelida Belous, Congresswoman for Tierra del Fuego Province, receives a photo of "B-95," the famous Red Knot, from the WHSRN Argentine National Council - May 2011 (© Tabaré Barreto) |
