Rewilding Iberà

Timeframe: 2020 - 2022
Country/Region: Argentina
Partner: Rewilding Argentina

During the last century, the lack of protection in the extensive Ibera Wetlands in Argentina have led to a massive decline in species populations. Here, for over a century, intensive agricultural activities, extensive livestock production, poaching and hunting led to a catastrophic decline of native wildlife populations, with some species going locally extinct. This negative tendency began to be reverted 15 years ago, when Fundación Rewilding Argentina and other partners started a rewilding program that has successfully restored anteaters, Pampas´ deer and collared peccary in Ibera, which were all extinct in the region.

In 2018, after years of strategic planning and partnerships, 700’106 ha of Ibera Wetlands finally became a strictly protected Park. The new legal status halted the activities that were degrading the ecosystems of Ibera, representing a unique opportunity to fully recover the ecosystem’s balance and health by reintroducing several key native species, including top predators and large-sized seed dispersers. These species will re-establish critical ecological processes including predator-prey interactions and seed dispersal with large positive effects on ecosystem functionality.

Fondation Segré supports Rewilding Argentina in its mission of restoring the ecological functionality of the Ibera ecosystem by contributing to the reintroduction of red-and-green macaw, bare-faced curassow, jaguar and giant otter.