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In 2009 Argentina formally obtained from the
Global Environmental Facility (GEF) funds
to implement the Biodiversity Conservation
Project in Productive Forestry Landscapes.
Its main objective is to
incorporate biodiversity management in
plantation of regional and global ecosystems of
great importance for Argentina. The
management and execution of the project is
implemented through the Forest Production
Direction belonging to the Ministry of
Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.
There are many ways to highlight the
importance of biodiversity conservation. While it
is the product of a natural historical process of
great antiquity, biodiversity helps ensure the well-
being and balance in the biosphere, contributing
to the welfare and development of culture. It
likewise represents a source of potential wealth
for future generations.
Although the Protected Natural Areas
(PNAs) are the basic tool for conservation of
biodiversity, as is known, they are increasingly
inadequate due to the advancement of the
agricultural and forestry frontiers that make
them isolated. Therefore, the PNAs should be
supplemented or integrated with productive
use areas under sustainable management
of natural resources. In fact, conservation
in productive areas is the higher relative
measure application in the world during the
last decade.
As part of the management of the GEF, the
Forestry Development Project undertook a
study to identify critical areas for biodiversity
conservation in Mesopotamia and Delta (Univ.
Maimonides, 2005). Analysing the current
expected occurrence of 414 threatened
species including vertebrates (mammals,
birds, amphibians, reptiles) and plants (ferns,
grasses, epiphytes, lianas and creepers, palm
trees and woody plants), it identified 23 critical
areas validated in workshops with participation
of specialists.
The study estimated that between 4 and
9 per cent of those areas, according to the
ecoregion or province, are forested, while
between 29 and 48 per cent of the area
under afforestation corresponds to priority
areas, reinforcing the importance and
need to implement conservation actions in
plantations.
Technical assistance programme
The GEF project is divided into different lines
of action to support the adoption of forestry
practices for the conservation of biodiversity.
The GEF project meets action strategies to
promote conservation biodiversity on the small,
medium, and large scale.
A technical assistance programme is
planned for forest producers with a wide range
of categories in terms of size and production
systems. This programme is in development
stage and mainly in financed actions, technical
assistance such as: training of decision
makers and managers; transfer of knowledge
and information; specific technical advice; and
conducting workshops and meetings.
Possible topics may include: maintenance,
support and management of agrochemicals
and pesticides and support for identification
and establishment of protected areas.
The steps for defining the programme are:
• Regional workshops to identify and discuss
the issues relevant to the plan
• Review of existing information in each
region with reference to environmental care
and production systems, determining their
characterization as well as initiatives and
actions in progress
• Design a strategy and terms of reference
on the basic guidelines of the programme
and define possible methodologies for its
implementation
• Convene stakeholders in the implementation
of the programme to develop proposals for
this purpose.
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mental organizations with direct responsibility for planted
forests, through the enforcement of activities investigation,
extension training needs, dissemination and support for the
efficiency of managed forests.
The Biodiversity Conservation in Productive Forestry Landscapes
programme financed by the Global Environment Facility includes
the incorporation of biodiversity management in forest plantation
ecosystems of regional and global importance in Argentina.
Technical cooperation
Argentina participates actively in international organizations,
agreements, forestry implications forums, regional organizations
and processes and is developing technical cooperation at the bilat-
eral level. The main multilateral level spaces include
the United Nations Forum on Forests, the FAO
Committee on Forestry, the Forestry Commission for
Latin America and the Caribbean, International Poplar
Commission, the Montreal Process and Memoranda
of Understanding, as well as bilateral technical coop-
eration with China, the Russian Federation and other
countries.
The opening of Argentina’s economy presents a
new challenge, of developing the potential of forests
to sustain crop production on an international scale,
capable of satisfying a significant part of the growing
global demand.
Biodiversity and protected environments
Formerly widespread throughout all the subtropical area of the continent, the marsh deer
(
Blastocerus dichotomus
) is now reduced to small isolated populations in areas of estuaries and
lagoons of the basins of the Parana and Paraguay Rivers. Natural predators of the marsh deer, the
jaguar and puma, have disappeared almost entirely from their habitat. The greatest threat to
conservation, illegal hunting which sought the antlers as a trophy, is today relatively controlled.
Traditional habitat destruction is the greatest risk to the marsh deer.
Threatened species