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106 9(3), June 1987

Patagonia: Range Management at the End of the World Guillermo E. Debase and Ronald Robberecht

Cold, disagreeablewinters, arid steppeswith fierce winds 23 at all seasons—mixedwith a bit of mystery, romance, and adventure—is the image that arises in the minds of people when the word "" is brought up. While many sim- ilarities inclimate and exist betweenthe semiarid lands ofPatagonia and those ofthe western ,as well as similaritiesIn the early settlement of these , \ several key differences have ledto contrasting philosophies inthe managementof theirrespective rangelands.In Argen- tine Patagonia, livestock breeding forhigh quality meat and to satisfy the demanding markets of was fore- most, and care forthe land was In contrast, man- secondary. Vi.dmO agement of rangelands hastended to emphasize appreciation of both livestock and vegetation. PuiftO Modryn Thecultural and ethnicbackgrounds ofthe early and ma a the concentration of wealth, educational institutions, and Comodoro R,vodovia — Ir evil In — political power In the Argentine capital, , have played a major role in the development of Patagonia. This article examines some of the historical and culturalfactors wJ? .- .— that have led to the development of these two divergent land-use and their effect on manage- philosophies range U sa oh Is t____..___ ment practices in the United States and Patagonia. 55•

The Land , like the United States, lies almost entirely in the tem- The Patagonianregion of the Argentine Republic extends perate zone ofthe westernhemisphere. Patagonia (hatched area) is from the Colorado River in central to the a semiarid shrubsteppe , of which nearly 90%is . Argentina Beagle ComodoroRivadavia is andis the center Channel In thesouth and fromthe Cordillera de losAndes to Petagonia'slargest city, for commerceand industry in the region. theAtlantic . Itcovers an areaof about 1 million km2or about 1/3 of the total land area of Argentina. The climate is These notable scenic areas and cities may sometimes generally dry,cold, and windy. Below-freezingtemperatures obscure thefact the the majority ofPatagonia—nearly 90%— can occur throughout the year, and annual is rangeland. Forested land accounts for only about 10% of varies from more than 4,000mm in the PatagonianAndes to the Patagonian region, and irrigated valleys less than 1%. less than 150mm in central of Patagonia.Since only Patagonia is thus truly the rangeland regionof Argentina. about 4.5% of Argentina's population of 30 million people Vegetation throughout this vast cool semidesert/ Inhabit the Patagonian region, this wide and expansiveland zone consists mainly of tussock grasses (bunchgrasses is indeed sparsely populated. referred to as coirons) intermixed with shrubs. Dominant Although vast uninhabited create an impression grass generainclude Festuca, Poa, Stipa, Bromus, and Hor- of desolation for visitors, not all Patagonia is arid and semi- deum, and the major shrub genera include Nassauvia, Ber- arid. The Patagonian , for instance, is a highly scenic beris, Mu/mum, Adesmia, and Senecio. The physiognomy, region with majestic mountain peaks.Several national parks or overall appearance of Patagonian vegetation, is some- with ,forests, and of magnificentscenic beauty whatsimilar tothat of manyshrub steppevegetation zones of occurthere. The city of , the main skiing centerof the western United States rangelands. Soils of Patagonia and considered by some to be one of the vary from humicin the forests to alluvials and lithosolics in world's beautiful cities, is located in this Andean mountain Patagoniantablelands. Thearticle by Soriano (1983) is sug- range.Other popular touristattractions of Patagoniainclude gested for a detailed review of the climate, vegetation and numerous indigenous animal species suchas the , gua- soilsof Patagonia. naco, and ; the reserve at Peninsula ColonIzation Valdés;and Usuahia, the southernmost city in the world. The coast of Patagonia was first explored in 1518 by members of the Authors are withthe Department ofRange Resources, University of Idaho; Magellan expedition. Prominent scientists Defosséis on leave from centroNaclonal Patagonio (CON ICET) 9120Puerto and explorers such as Darwin, Ameghino, Musters, and Madryn, chubut, Argentina. Contribution of the Forest, Wildlife and Range ExperimentStation, No. 305. Dusen mounted severalsignificant expeditions of scientific Rangelands 9(3), June 1987 107 discovery to thisregion in the last century. Until the opening ofthe Canalin 1914, thearduous journey aroundthe South American continentby way of the was the only way to travel from the Atlanticto the Pacific Oceansby . Although there were many opportunities for settlementduring this period, where coastal ports were used to resupply the ships, this region was apparently uninviting because of its cold climate and high winds. It was not until 1865that effective settlement of Patagonia was realizedwhen a small groupof Welsh immigrants estab- lished two settlements in northern Patagonia. The prosper- ous city of was established at the original landing site, and thecity of Gaimanwas establishedabout 70 km to the south by the ChubutRiver. Within 25 years, other settlements were developed along the . The Welsh colony developed sufficiently to supportagricultural systems based on irrigationand a railroad to interconnect those settlementswith the exporting port of Puerto Madryn. Additionalsettlements were also establishedon thefoothills of the Andes, now the cities of and . Immi- grantsfrom severalother European countries followed later, and by the turn of the century the entire Patagonian region was fully explored. By 1920, or estanciasbased on a sheep livestock industry as well as coastal meat packing factories and ports had been established.

Development of a Sheep Livestock Industry In the first decades of this century the Patagonian econ- omy was based entirely on the sheep industry, which expanded vigorously. The importation of rams from Austra- lia was a practice commonly used for improving the quality of Patagonia sheep herds, a that is still quite com- practice Sheepraising is the main activityon Patagonianran gelands. mon. Despitethe impetusfor industrial and economic devel- opment of Patagoniathat came in the early 1900'swith the ed from the region to develop Buenos Aires and the sur- discovery of oil in the region, the economic base of Patago- rounding humid . In recent years depressed wool nia remained largely dependent on the sheep industry for prices on international markets coupled with increased meat and wool production. To put the prominence of Pata- growth ofnew textile, aluminum, andfishing industries have gonia'slivestock industry and theregion's natural resources caused the traditional and once powerful sheep in the since settlement Patagonian perspective, Patagonian rangelands industry to decline in terms of gross income. haveproduced more than5 billion kgof wool—enough wool to make a sweater for human on 15 Range ManagementPractIces every today—, in billion kg of meat, and more than half the energy (oil, coal Today, range management Patagoniaprimarily involves and that has consumed tothe the raising of sheepfor wool and meatproduction. Although hydroelectricity) Argentina up the Cordillera de los is becom- present. Unfortunately, economic benefits to Patagonia ranching along Andes were minimal becausemost ofthese resourceswere export- ing an important industry, particularly in response to the

Vegetationdeterioration and soil erosion are the main problemscaused by overgrazingon Patagonianran gelands. 108 Rangelends 9(3), June 1987 growingmarkets for beef in several coastal cities, it remains to these late nineteenth century European settlers as an a relatively minor industrycompared with sheep ranching. inexhaustible resource for livestock production. This philo- There are about 350,000 cattle , quite a small sophy fostered little desire for the conservation of these population relative to the 16 millionsheep. inexhaustible rangelands. Low regard forthe shrub steppe Sheep managementhas alwaysbeen quite simple,with the rangelands of Patagonia was reinforced by the establish- herds maintained in the field yearlong. Animals may be ment of agronomy and veterinary colleges north of this moved between summer and winterranges on ranches near region near Buenos Aires, which, with little exception, the Andes in western Patagonia, though overstocking on tended toemphasize development of the . The bothranges tends to deteriorate theland in asimilar manner less productive lands of Patagonia, viewed as marginal for as yearlong grazing (Soriano 1956b). Utilization of coastal , were accorded slight consideration. The lack of valleys as ranges, which are milder in climate and interest and understanding of such marginal ecosystems closerto meat markets, is becoming quite common. A few inhibited the development of range science. Only recently ranching events are noteworthy: the señalada (countingof has concern for more than just the animal and its perfor- new lambs), esquila (sheepshearing), pelada de 0/os shear- mance become of general interest of Argentineans. Range ing around the eyes), and baflo (dip) against an ectodermic science as a whole, then, has been a field nearly absent in parasitecalled sarna(mange). Inthe workers typi- Patagonia. cally have thedaily tasks of fence maintenanceand searches for wounded or dead animals. Skin obtained from the dead animals provides an additional source of income. Exhibitions of livestock,wool, and meat are held annually intowns throughoutPatagonia—commercial and highly fes- tive events called La Rural. Livestock improvements have earned the sheepherdersof this region world-wide recogni- tion forhigh quality wool and meat.This reputation has been known to swell thepride of the sheep breedersor cabañeros. Although severalsheep breedsoccur in Patagonia,only two are very important. Australian sheep, renowned for their high qualitywool, are generally raised in thearid areas of Patagonia becauseof their hardiness. In areas with semi- arid and colder climates, theCorriedale breed used for both wool and meat is commonly found. Some half-breed black faced sheepare raised incoastal valleys to produce lambsof excellent quality. Improvements tothe range are not common, and are cer- tainly not encouraged by the relatively low sale price for Festuca pallescensgrassland on the toothillsof the Patagonian wool. Although some estancias practice sound range man- Andes. agement basedon empirical observations,basic information Woolfolk(1955) stated thatEnglish, Scottish, and Austral- on the Patagonian rangelands such as plant productivity, ian sheepmen carried to Patagoniatheir ways and habits of animal carryingcapacity, range trend, range condition, and handling livestock. The vegetation of the new ecosystem proper use are badly needed in order to design grazing theyencountered was unfamiliar to them, thereby making it systems basedon ecological principles. This need for more difficult to manage. These groups therefore focused on the information on range science, and especially theneed for an more familiar and traditional ways of livestock breeding. In organizational structure to guide and implement sound the wordsof Woolfolk, "the knowledge of range vegetation rangeland management,is magnified by rangelandsthat are, and itsmanagement was not and still is notcomparable with on the whole, in relatively poorcondition. the general livestock handling andwool grading knowledge in the Argentine...". This statement is true today, and even Ethnicand Cultural Factors though the general improvement in herds quality is note- Attitudes toward rangelands appear to have been greatly worthy, the conditionof the range is today worse than 30 Influenced the land-use the by philosophy developedduring years ago. colonization of this As in region by European immigrants. In the United States,Patagonia was settled by immigrants from Rangeland Research Patagonla many differentEuropean ethnicbackgrounds. Welsh immi- In 1945, theyoung ecologist Alberto Soriano madethe first grant established farms along the Chubut River and in the observations of what couldbe called the range approach in foothills of the Patagonian Andes. The Scots, English, and this region. In a series of papers on Patagonia published tended to be dedicated sheepherders, colonizing between 1948and 1956, Soriano implied that thisregion was the arid steppes, constructing fences and sheep handling an ecosystem essentially different in character from the facilities in the estancias. People of Italian, Yugoslavian, agronomic humid pampas. Soriano stated that this "new" Spanish, and Arab origin tended to settle in the cities and ecosystem should be managed ecologically, namely that dominate commerce. secondary succession and not the production of new crops These ethnic and cultural influences lead to rangeland must be the dominant process utilized in range manage- practices that focused primarily on the quality of livestock ment.He suggestedseveral ecological principles thatshould with little regard for thevegetation that supported the anim- be followed to halt deterioration and improve the condition als. The vast shrub steppe expansesof Patagoniaappeared of the range, which by then was seriously threatened by Rangelands 9(3), June 1987 109 overgrazing. These included familiar concepts such as affected governmental policies toward land use and conser- reduced stocking rates and deferred rotational grazing sys- vation. Various research groups began to focus their atten- tems to allow secondary succession to proceed toward a tion on vegetation, wildlife, soils, and environmental aspects climax community. While these recommendations seem of Patagonia.This change in attitude was reinforced by the quite reasonable to contemporary range scientists in the creation of the Centro Nacional Patagonico in the city of United States, one should remember that these views were Puerto Madryn. This research center, a branch of the formulated as early as 1945—and independently of the National Research Council of Argentina (CONICET), has developmentof range science in the United States. one program exclusively devoted tothe developmentof arid Theseries ofarticles by Soriano on Patagonianvegetation and semiarid areas. Other researchgroups sponsored by the and its management were considered particularly signifi- CONICET, the National Institute of Agricultural Technolo- cantly by Beetle (1954). In his review of theArgentine litera- gies (INTA), and various state agencies initiated programs ture on range management,Beetle noted the lack oftrained for collection of basic scientificinformation on soils, wildlife rangeextensionists in Patagonia.Furthermore, he perceived and vegetation. These programs were aimed at closing the that thorough understanding of rangelands was hampered gap in information that existed since the significant papers because almost all the botanists, taxonomists, plant geo- by Soriano in the late 1940's and 1950's. These procedures graphers, and ecologists resided in Buenos Aires—faraway should lead to considerable improvements in the manage- from the rangelands of Patagonia. This impression was ment of Patagonia'srangelands. echoed by Woolfolk (1955) aftervisiting Argentina. Woolfolk It is an appropriate time for Argentina to join the interna- was impressed with the excellence of Argentine ecologists tional community of range scientists. Local and national and botanists, but recognized, as Beetle did, that most of professional socieites for range management,perhaps even- those scientists lived in Buenos Aires and its surroundings. tuallyto beaffiliated withthe international Society for Range Woolfolk realized that development of range management Management, are needed to develop the scientific and required not only scientists with an appreciation and know- governmental infrastructure necessary to halt rangeland ledge ofthe Patagonian ecosystembut also extensionists to deterioration and promote proper multiple-use land man- transfer this knowledge to the rancher. He viewed this agement.Support for improvement of rangelandsshould be transfer of range researchto therancher as an indispensable cultivatedamong scientists, teachers, extensionists, ranchers, step for the proper development and management of the wildland recreationists and concerned citizens to forge a range. groupthat will influence thefuture of rangelandsof this vast, Rangemanagement curricula began to expand in universi- mysteriousand visually exciting land known as Patagonia. ties the western throughout United Statesduring the 1950's. CIted and Suggested LIterature This is in sharp contrast to the trendthat occurred in Argen- tina this centralized Buenos Ares,J., AM. Beescow,M.B. Bertiller, C.M. Rostagno,M.P. Irlsarrl, during period. Universities, in J. Anchorena,G.E. Defossé, and C.A.Merlno. 1983. Structuraland Airesand La Plata, emphasized the agronomic and animal Dynamic characteristics of overgrazed of northern sciences. This fostereda production-oriented perspectiveof Patagonia,Argentina. ln:A.Breymeyer, ed. ManagedGrasslands. therangeland, rather than onethat was ecologically oriented. Elsevier (in press). and veterinarians Bartlett, D.,and J. Bartlett. 1976. Patagonianwildshore—Where two Agronomists educated at those institu- worlds meet. Nat. 149:298-321. tions in Geog. gave preference to improvements livestock quality Beetle,A.A. 1954. The Argentine literature in rangemanagement. J. rather than tothe ecology of the region. The results ofthese Range Manage. 7:125-127. two different educational philosophies toward range man- Bertlller, M. 1984. Specific primary productivity dynamics in arid agement are clearly expressedin the state of ecosystems: a case study in Patagonia,Argentina. Acta Oecol. present range- 5:365-381. lands and range science in the United Statesand Argentina. Boelke, 0. 1954. El curso internacional de pasturas realizado en A considerable infrastructure has developedin the United Argentina en 1953. Rev. Arg. Agr. 21 :71-79. Statessince the 1930's that guides theuse, improvementand Conway,W.G. 1976. Argentina protects its wildlife treasures.Nat. conservation of rangeland resources. Important in this Geog. 149:290-297. infrastructure are the McGann, T.F. 1966. Argentina, the divided land. D. Van Nostrand state and federal land agencies, uni- New research and Company,Princeton, Jersey. versity extension programs, ranchers, and Payne, R.1976. At home with the rightwhales. Nat. Geog. 149:322-340. concerned citizens. While there are often competing inter- Sorlano, A. 1947. Notas sobre plantas de Patagonia.Bol. Soc. Arg. ests for the use of rangelands among these groups, man- Bot. 2:99-106. agement of in the United States tends toward a Sorlano, A. 1948. Las exploraciones botánicas en Ia Patagonia rangelands Cien. Invest. 4:443-453. multiple-use approach. considerable scientific Argentina. Although Sorlano,A. 1950. Lavegetaciondel Chubut. Rev. Arg. Agr. 17:30-66. expertise in theagronomic and animal sciencesdoes exist in Sorlano, A. 1952. El pastoreoen el territoriodel Chubut. Rev. Arg. Argentina, the consolidation of a national policy on man- Agr. 19:1-20. agement of rangelands as multiple-use resource has been Sorlano, A. 1952. La regeneracionde Ia vegetaciOn en las zonas slowto The áridas.Cien. Invest. 8:544-549. develop. integration of such rangeland aspects A. 1956a. Los de as Sorlano, distritos floristicos Ia provincia - wildlife, vegetation management,conservation, and tour- ica. Rev. Invest. Agr. 10:323-372. ism with livestock production has yet to be achieved. The Sorlano,A. 1 956b. Aspectosecologicos y pasturilesde Ia vegetaciOn land-use philosphy still remains largely one oriented to the PatagOnica relacionadoscon suestado y capacidadde recupera- single-use purpose of animal production. ciOn.Rev. Invest. Agr. 10:349-372. Asubstantial changetoward Patagonian Sorlano,A. 1983. Desertsand semi-deserts of Patagonia.P.424-460 rangelandsbegan In: N.E. West,ed. Temperatedeserts and semi-deserts.Elsevier, around 1970, stemming from the noticeably deteriorated Amsterdam. rangelands, a depressed sheep livestock industry, and re- Whltaker,A.P. 1954. The United Statesand Argentina.Harvard Uni- newed interest in Patagonia's oil and gas reserves. The versity Press, Cambridge,Massachusetts. general world-wide concern for environmental quality also Woolfolk, E.J. 1955. Range improvement and managementprob- lems in Argentina.J. Range Manage8:260-264.