Official Dedication of Bahía Samborombón WHSRN Site, Argentina

Bahía Samborombón WHSRN Site (in red) includes various protected areas. / Courtesy of Gabriel Castresana

On 29 November 2011 at the Sport and Social Club in the town of General Conesa, Province of Buenos Aires, partners gathered to celebrate the official dedication of the Bahía Samborombón WHSRN Site of International Importance. The site was approved by the WHSRN Hemispheric Council in May and comprises a huge portion of the bay—some 250,000 hectares (more than 617,000 acres).

The dedication event was jointly organized by the Provincial Agency for Sustainable Development and the Natural Protected Areas Department of the Province of Buenos Aires, with  the lively participation of the local community and governments, researchers, park rangers, and media. Among the officials present for the occasion were the Mayor of the Municipality of Tordillo, Hector Olivera; Secretary of Government, Mario Garcia; the Manager of “Campos de Tuyú ” National Park, Mario Beade; and the Director of the Province’s Natural Protected Areas Department, Ricardo Cañete. Attending on behalf of WHSRN was Executive Office Director, Dr. Charles Duncan; Southern Cone Program Coordinator, Diego Luna Quevedo; and Argentine National WHSRN Council President, Mg. Erio Curto.

A diverse audience comprising the local community, government agencies, researchers, and park rangers participated in the Bahía Samborombón dedication event. / © Diego Luna Quevedo

After the participants sang the national anthem, Mayor Héctor Olivera welcomed everyone to the dedication and shared his joy for Bahía Samborombón gaining such international recognition. A series of informative talks and presentations by invited guests followed, on various topics regarding conservation of the bay and provincial protected areas. Ricardo Cañete talked about the Province’s Protected Areas System and reaffirmed his ongoing commitment to conserving Bahía Samborombón and its migratory birds. Mario Beade explained the inclusion of the National Park within the WHSRN Site, and biologist Paul Grilli discussed the importance of the bay for shorebirds. Charles Duncan then spoke about the role of WHSRN as a tool for conserving shorebirds in the Americas, followed by Erio Curto, who gave an overview of the purpose, role, and actions of the Argentine National WHSRN Council. The ceremony concluded with the presentation of official WHSRN site certificates to authorities and partners amidst enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis) / Courtesy of Diego Luna Quevedo

Bahía Samborombón, the fifth WHSRN site in Argentina, merited its designation as a Site of International Importance for hosting 11% of the world population of Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Tryngites subruficollis). The bay, with its mix of grassland and coastal habitats, provides a critical stopover for this and other shorebird species annually during their long-distance migrations. 

After the ceremony, WHSRN representatives visited a sample of cattle farms and pastures in and around the site, guided by local ranger Gabriel Castresana. In addition, they were lucky enough to also see a large number of the Buff-breasted Sandpipers for which this site is known.

For more information, contact Diego Luna Quevedo (diego.luna@manomet.org), Southern Cone Program Coordinator, Shorebird Recovery Project, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences.