Mario Santos Beade

Pampas Deer Conservation in Samborombon Bay, Argentina

LocationCountryCategoriesDate
Samborombon BayArgentinaCentral and Latin America, Mammals12 Sep 2002

Pampas deer are one of the most threatened mammals in Argentina. Through this project Mario Beade and the FVSA will update information on this species’ status through aerial and terrestrial surveys at one of the last sites in the country (Samborombón Bay) where the deer survive. One of the aims of this effort is to evaluate the impact of the long-term conservation efforts made by FVSA in the area during the past 20 years.

Based on these results the team will make new recommendations to local authorities and landowners, and begin new educational campaigns and poaching control activities in a joint effort with official organisations such as the Police Department and Provincial Ranger Service.

You can contact the team at camptuyu@rpm-net.com.ar

Project Update: April 2003

In the Argentinian Pampas Grassland where the endangered Pampas Deer has one of the last refuges, FVSA Agent of Conservation Mario Beade is involving a group of young people - wild life rangers of the Provincial Reserve of Samborombon Bay - to improve conservation efforts.

Headed by Beade they worked in Aerial Censusing of the Pampas Deer population. They have found a critical situation in the North part of the area: "where you could find dozens of Deer ten years ago, we found almost none" says Mario who is very concerned about the situation. Mario and the Rangers think that the declining is mainly due to poaching and the proliferation of feral pigs.

Beade has put effort into the fight against feral pigs, with a new model of trap. On the other hand, he and his colleagues of Educational Department of the FVSA are developing a new set of educational materials like enveloped radio messages and a poster for making campaigns in schools and other public centres.

2nd RSG Grant Awarded

Mario Beade and his team were awarded a Continuation Grant in October 2003. During the first stage of the project, the team found that deer distribution at the Samborombon Bay area had changed dramatically, with less than 10% of the population living in the Northern part of the bay.

Through this continuation grant, the team will continue to monitor the deer population at the Bay area along with the evaluation of both the educational campaign launched last year and the feral pig trap designed by Mario Beade. They will carry out an analysis of satellite images and field validation in order to establish whether this apparent reduction in the area of occupancy of Pampas deer is related to changes in habitat suitability.

Finally, Mario will finalise the Management Plan of the FVSA’s the Campos del Tuyu Reserve, with the assistance of the staff at the headquarters of the FVSA, believing that this document will be a key tool for the conservation of Pampas deer for the whole Samborombon area.


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