Download Report

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Download Report Document of The World Bank Public Disclosure Authorized Report No.: 60947-AR Public Disclosure Authorized PROJECT PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT REPORT ARGENTINA – NATIVE FORESTS AND PROTECTED AREAS PROJECT (LOAN No. 4085) ARGENTINA – BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROJECT (TF-28372) June 29, 2011 Public Disclosure Authorized IEG Public Sector Evaluation Independent Evaluation Group Public Disclosure Authorized ii Currency Equivalents (annual averages) Argentina Currency Unit = Peso 1996 US$1.00 AR$1.00 2004 US$1.00 AR$2.97 1997 US$1.00 AR$1.00 2005 US$1.00 AR$3.04 1998 US$1.00 AR$1.00 2006 US$1.00 AR$3.07 1999 US$1.00 AR$1.00 2007 US$1.00 AR$3.14 2000 US$1.00 AR$1.00 2008 US$1.00 AR$3.44 2001 US$1.00 AR$1.00 2009 US$1.00 AR$3.81 2002 US$1.00 AR$3.40 2010 US$1.00 AR$3.97 2003 US$1.00 AR$2.95 2011 US$1.00 AR$4.02 iii Abbreviations and Acronyms ABC Argentina Biodiversity Conservation Project APN Administración de Parques Nacionales (National Park Service of Argentina) COFEMA Consejo Federal del Medio Ambiente (National Environmental Council) DNB Dirección Nacional de Bosques (National Directorate of Forests) GEF Global Environment Facility GIS Geographic Information System IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (The World Bank) ICR Implementation Completion Report IEG Independent Evaluation Group IEGPS IEG Public Sector Evaluation M&E Monitoring and Evaluation NFPA Native Forests and Protected Areas Project NGO Non-Governmental Organization OED Operations Evaluation Department (now called IEG) PPAR Project Performance Assessment Report SAyDS Secretaría del Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostentable (Secretariat of the Environment and Sustainable Development SRNyAH Secretaría de Recursos Naturales y Ambiente Humana (Secretariat of Natural Resources and Human Environment, now called SAyDS) SINAP Sistema Nacional de Areas Protegidas (National Protected Areas System) UMARF Unidad de Manejo de Información del Aprovechamiento Sustentable de los Recursos Forestales Nativos (Information Management Unit for the Sustainable Yield of Native Forests) UMSEF Unidad de Manejo de Sistema de Evaluación Forestal (Management Unit for the Forest Evaluation System) WCMC World Commission on Protected Areas Fiscal Year Government: January 1- December 31 Director-General, Independent Evaluation : Mr. Vinod Thomas Director, IEG Public Sector Evaluation : Ms. Monika Huppi (Acting) Manager, IEG Public Sector Evaluation : Ms. Monika Huppi Task Manager : Mr. Richard Carlos Worden v Contents Principal Ratings ............................................................................................................... vii Key Staff Responsible....................................................................................................... vii Preface................................................................................................................................ ix Summary ............................................................................................................................ xi 1. Historical Background and Natural Context of Argentina Projects ................................ 1 Other World Bank and Donor Assistance Projects ......................................................... 4 2. Project Objectives and Design ........................................................................................ 6 NFPA Project .................................................................................................................. 6 ABC Project Objectives and Design ............................................................................... 8 3. Institutional Arrangements, Expenditures and Implementation Experience of NFPA and ABC Projects ................................................................................................................ 9 Implementation arrangements ......................................................................................... 9 Implementation Experience – NFPA Project ................................................................ 10 Planned vs. Actual Disbursements ................................................................................ 12 NFPA Project Expenditures ...................................................................................... 12 ABC Project Expenditures ........................................................................................ 12 4. Achievement of Outcomes ............................................................................................ 12 Native Forests and Protected Areas Project .................................................................. 12 Objective 1: Assist SAyDS to prioritize actions in native forests ............................ 12 Objective 2: Develop an incentive-based regulatory framework ............................. 15 Objective 3: Develop a Plan to Transform APN into a world-class parks organization............................................................................................................... 16 Objective 4: Increase environmentally sustainable tourism in four selected National Parks. ......................................................................................................... 17 Argentina Biodiversity Conservation Project ............................................................... 20 Objective 1: Expand and diversify SINAP ............................................................... 20 Objective 2: Create conditions for their sustainable management ............................ 22 Global Environmental Objective .............................................................................. 24 5. Evaluation Ratings ........................................................................................................ 25 Relevance of Objectives ............................................................................................... 25 Relevance of Design ..................................................................................................... 26 This report was prepared by Richard C. Worden, who assessed the project in February 2011. The Peer Reviewer was Lauren Kelly, and Panel Reviewer was John Heath. Marie Charles provided administrative support. vi NFPA Project ............................................................................................................ 26 ABC Project .............................................................................................................. 27 Efficacy ......................................................................................................................... 29 Efficiency .................................................................................................................. 30 ABC Project .............................................................................................................. 33 Outcome .................................................................................................................... 34 Risk to Development..................................................................................................... 35 Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Systems ................................................................ 36 M&E Design, Implementation and Utilization ......................................................... 36 Bank Performance ......................................................................................................... 39 NFPA Project ............................................................................................................ 39 ABC Project .............................................................................................................. 40 Borrower Performance ............................................................................................. 42 NFPA Project ............................................................................................................ 42 ABC Project .............................................................................................................. 43 6. Lessons Learned............................................................................................................ 44 Annex A: Basic Data Sheet............................................................................................... 47 Annex B: Changes in Project Disbursements ................................................................... 53 Annex C: List of People Met ............................................................................................ 55 Annex D: Borrower Comments ........................................................................................ 56 Annex E: Maps ................................................................................................................. 65 Tables Table 1: Alternative “Blended” Design of APN and SAyDS Projects ............................. 29 Table 2: Financial Internal Rate of Return for Four NATIONAL PARKs Selected in NFPA Project .................................................................................................................... 32 Table 3: Comparison of Project Ratings ........................................................................... 34 Table 4: Summary of ABC Project Disbursements Amendment ..................................... 53 Table 5: Summary of NFPA Project Amendment of Disbursement Allocations ............. 54 Figures Figure 1: Transformed Areas overlaid Eco-Regions of Argentina ..................................... 3 Figure 2: Major Forest Types
Recommended publications
  • In Argentina New Birding ‘Lodges’ in Argentina James Lowen
    >> BIRDING SITES NEW BIRDING LoDGES IN ARGENTINA New birding ‘lodges’ in Argentina James Lowen Birders visiting Argentina tend to stay in hotels near but not at birding sites because the country lacks lodges of the type found elsewhere in the Neotropics. However, a few new establishments are bucking the trend and may deserve to be added to country’s traditional birding route. This article focuses on two of them and highlights a further six. Note: all photographs were taken at the sites featured in the article. Long-trained Nightjar Macropsalis forcipata, Posada Puerto Bemberg, Misiones, June 2009 (emilio White); there is a good stakeout near the posada neotropical birding 6 49 >> BIRDING SITES NEW BIRDING LoDGES IN ARGENTINA lthough a relatively frequent destination Posada Puerto Bemberg, for Neotropical birders, Argentina—unlike A most Neotropical countries—has relatively Misiones few sites such as lodges where visitors can Pretty much every tourist visiting Misiones bird and sleep in the same place. Fortunately, province in extreme north-east Argentina makes there are signs that this is changing, as estancia a beeline for Iguazú Falls, a leading candidate to owners build lodgings and offer ecotourism- become one of UNESCO’s ‘seven natural wonders related services. In this article, I give an of the world’. Birders are no different, but also overview of two such sites that are not currently spend time in the surrounding Atlantic Forest on the standard Argentine birding trail—but of the Parque Nacional de Iguazú. Although should be. Both offer good birding and stylish some birders stay in the national park’s sole accommodation in a beautiful setting, which may hotel, most day-trip the area from hotels in interest those with non-birding partners.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity and Structure of Bird and Mammal Communities in the Semiarid Chaco Region: Response to Agricultural Practices and Landscape Alterations
    Diversity and structure of bird and mammal communities in the Semiarid Chaco Region: response to agricultural practices and landscape alterations Julieta Decarre March 2015 A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Division of Ecology and Evolution, Department of Life Sciences Imperial College London 2 Imperial College London Department of Life Sciences Diversity and structure of bird and mammal communities in the Semiarid Chaco Region: response to agricultural practices and landscape alterations Supervised by Dr. Chris Carbone Dr. Cristina Banks-Leite Dr. Marcus Rowcliffe Imperial College London Institute of Zoology Zoological Society of London 3 Declaration of Originality I herewith certify that the work presented in this thesis is my own and all else is referenced appropriately. I have used the first-person plural in recognition of my supervisors’ contribution. People who provided less formal advice are named in the acknowledgments. Julieta Decarre 4 Copyright Declaration The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence. Researchers are free to copy, distribute or transmit the thesis on the condition that they attribute it, that they do not use it for commercial purposes and that they do not alter, transform or build upon it. For any reuse or redistribution, researchers must make clear to others the licence terms of this work 5 “ …and we wandered for about four hours across the dense forest…Along the path I could see several footprints of wild animals, peccaries, giant anteaters, lions, and the footprint of a tiger, that is the first one I saw.” - Emilio Budin, 19061 I dedicate this thesis To my mother and my father to Virginia, Juan Martin and Alejandro, for being there through space and time 1 Book: “Viajes de Emilio Budin: La Expedición al Chaco, 1906-1907”.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Ecological Forest Classification and Forest Protected Area Gap Analysis
    United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre Global Ecological Forest Classification and Forest Protected Area Gap Analysis Analyses and recommendations in view of the 10% target for forest protection under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 2nd revised edition, January 2009 Global Ecological Forest Classification and Forest Protected Area Gap Analysis Analyses and recommendations in view of the 10% target for forest protection under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Report prepared by: United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Network World Resources Institute (WRI) Institute of Forest and Environmental Policy (IFP) University of Freiburg Freiburg University Press 2nd revised edition, January 2009 The United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP- WCMC) is the biodiversity assessment and policy implementation arm of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the world's foremost intergovernmental environmental organization. The Centre has been in operation since 1989, combining scientific research with practical policy advice. UNEP-WCMC provides objective, scientifically rigorous products and services to help decision makers recognize the value of biodiversity and apply this knowledge to all that they do. Its core business is managing data about ecosystems and biodiversity, interpreting and analysing that data to provide assessments and policy analysis, and making the results
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix 1: Maps and Plans Appendix184 Map 1: Conservation Categories for the Nominated Property
    Appendix 1: Maps and Plans Appendix184 Map 1: Conservation Categories for the Nominated Property. Los Alerces National Park, Argentina 185 Map 2: Andean-North Patagonian Biosphere Reserve: Context for the Nominated Proprty. Los Alerces National Park, Argentina 186 Map 3: Vegetation of the Valdivian Ecoregion 187 Map 4: Vegetation Communities in Los Alerces National Park 188 Map 5: Strict Nature and Wildlife Reserve 189 Map 6: Usage Zoning, Los Alerces National Park 190 Map 7: Human Settlements and Infrastructure 191 Appendix 2: Species Lists Ap9n192 Appendix 2.1 List of Plant Species Recorded at PNLA 193 Appendix 2.2: List of Animal Species: Mammals 212 Appendix 2.3: List of Animal Species: Birds 214 Appendix 2.4: List of Animal Species: Reptiles 219 Appendix 2.5: List of Animal Species: Amphibians 220 Appendix 2.6: List of Animal Species: Fish 221 Appendix 2.7: List of Animal Species and Threat Status 222 Appendix 3: Law No. 19,292 Append228 Appendix 4: PNLA Management Plan Approval and Contents Appendi242 Appendix 5: Participative Process for Writing the Nomination Form Appendi252 Synthesis 252 Management Plan UpdateWorkshop 253 Annex A: Interview Guide 256 Annex B: Meetings and Interviews Held 257 Annex C: Self-Administered Survey 261 Annex D: ExternalWorkshop Participants 262 Annex E: Promotional Leaflet 264 Annex F: Interview Results Summary 267 Annex G: Survey Results Summary 272 Annex H: Esquel Declaration of Interest 274 Annex I: Trevelin Declaration of Interest 276 Annex J: Chubut Tourism Secretariat Declaration of Interest 278
    [Show full text]
  • The Giant Armadillo of the Gran Chaco
    The Giant Armadillo of the Gran Chaco A giant armadillo Priodontes maximus at the Saenz-Peña Zoo in South America raises up, balancing with its tail, a common posture for this large species. Venezuela The Guianas: Guyana hat’s the size of Texas and Arizona combined, reaches temperatures Suriname French Guiana Wof 115 degrees Fahrenheit, has plants with 15-inch-long thorns, Colombia and houses an armadillo larger than a coffee table? The South American Gran Chaco, where giant armadillos wander freely. The Gran Chaco region covers more than 1 million square kilometers of Argentina, Bolivia, Perú Brazil Paraguay, and Brazil, with approximately 60 percent in Argentina and Bolivia just 7 percent in Brazil. The region is a mosaic of grasslands, savannas, Paraguay • open woodlands, dry thorn forests, and gallery forests that provide a GRAN CHACO 15 range of habitats where some diverse animal species flourish. • In the gallery forests of the humid Chaco, we regularly encounter animals Argentina that are associated with tropical and subtropical forests, like jaguars, owl monkeys, howler monkeys, peccaries, deer, tapirs, and various kinds of eden- tates, a group of mammals that includes sloths, anteaters, and armadillos. The Gran Chaco—from the Quechua Although there are no sloths in the Chaco, we regularly find lesser anteaters 2003 and sometimes come across giant anteaters. Both the nine-banded armadillo, Indian language of Bolivia for “great hunting ground”—crosses four coun- also found in Texas, and the tatu bola, or three-banded armadillo, which you tries and encompasses an area the can see at the Wild Animal Park’s Animal Care Center and the San Diego Zoo’s size of Texas and Arizona combined.
    [Show full text]
  • Conservation of Biodiversity in Protected Areas of Shared Priority Ecoregions of Latin America and the Caribbean
    Inter-Agency Technical Committee of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean Twelfth Forum of Ministers of the Environment Distribution: of Latin America and the Caribbean Limited UNEP/LAC-IGWG.XII/TD.3 Bridgetown, Barbados 27 February, 2000 2nd to 7th March 2000 Original: English - Spanish A. Preparatory Meeting of Experts 2nd to 3rd March 2000 The World Bank United Nations Development Programme Conservation of Biodiversity in United Nations Protected Areas of Shared Environment Programme (ITC Coordinator) Priority Ecoregions of Latin America and the Caribbean Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Inter-American Development Bank Conservation and sustainable use of tropical rainforests of Latin America and the Caribbean This document was prepared by the Inter-Agency Technical Committee on the basis of the mandates of the Eleventh Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean (Lima, Peru, March 1998). The work was carried out by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), as the lead agencies, in coordination with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The purpose of the document is to provide the Forum with support for discussing and approving courses of action in the sphere of the Regional Action Plan for the period 2000-2001. UNEP/LAC-IGWG.XII/TD.4 Page i Table of Contents Chapter I. Conservation of Biodiversity in Protected Areas of Shared Priority Ecoregions of Latin America and the Caribbean................................................. 1 I. Introduction................................................................................................ 1 II. Development of priority theme lines ................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity of Mammals and Birds Recorded with Camera-Traps in the Paraguayan Humid Chaco
    Bol. Mus. Nac. Hist. Nat. Parag. Vol. 24, nº 1 (Jul. 2020): 5-14100-100 Diversity of mammals and birds recorded with camera-traps in the Paraguayan Humid Chaco Diversidad de mamíferos y aves registrados con cámaras trampa en el Chaco Húmedo Paraguayo Andrea Caballero-Gini1,2,4, Diego Bueno-Villafañe1,2, Rafaela Laino1 & Karim Musálem1,3 1 Fundación Manuel Gondra, San José 365, Asunción, Paraguay. 2 Instituto de Investigación Biológica del Paraguay, Del Escudo 1607, Asunción, Paraguay. 3 WWF. Bernardino Caballero 191, Asunción, Paraguay. 4Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] Abstract.- Despite its vast extension and the rich fauna that it hosts, the Paraguayan Humid Chaco is one of the least studied ecoregions in the country. In this study, we provide a list of birds and medium-sized and large mammals recorded with camera traps in Estancia Playada, a private property located south of Occidental region in the Humid Chaco ecoregion of Paraguay. The survey was carried out from November 2016 to April 2017 with a total effort of 485 camera-days. We recorded 15 mammal and 20 bird species, among them the bare-faced curassow (Crax fasciolata), the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), and the neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis); species that are globally threatened in different dregrees. Our results suggest that Estancia Playada is a site with the potential for the conservation of birds and mammals in the Humid Chaco of Paraguay. Keywords: Species inventory, Mammals, Birds, Cerrito, Presidente Hayes. Resumen.- A pesar de su vasta extensión y la rica fauna que alberga, el Chaco Húmedo es una de las ecorregiones menos estudiadas en el país.
    [Show full text]
  • This Article Appeared in a Journal Published by Elsevier. the Attached
    This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier’s archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/copyright Author's personal copy Quaternary Science Reviews 30 (2011) 1630e1648 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary Science Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quascirev The diversification of eastern South American open vegetation biomes: Historical biogeography and perspectives Fernanda P. Werneck* Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA article info abstract Article history: The eastern-central South American open vegetation biomes occur across an extensive range of envi- Received 1 November 2010 ronmental conditions and are organized diagonally including three complexly interacting tropical/sub- Received in revised form tropical biomes. Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests (SDTFs), Cerrado, and Chaco biomes are seasonally 13 March 2011 stressed by drought, characterized by significant plant and animal endemism, high levels of diversity, and Accepted 14 March 2011 highly endangered. However, these open biomes have been overlooked in biogeographic studies and Available online 29 April 2011 conservation projects in South America, especially regarding fauna studies. Here I compile and evaluate the biogeographic hypotheses previously proposed for the diversification of these three major open Keywords: fi South America biomes, speci cally their distributions located eastern and southern of Andes.
    [Show full text]
  • World Bank Document
    Document of The World Bank Public Disclosure Authorized Report No.: 60947-AR Public Disclosure Authorized PROJECT PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT REPORT ARGENTINA – NATIVE FORESTS AND PROTECTED AREAS PROJECT (LOAN No. 4085) ARGENTINA – BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROJECT (TF-28372) June 29, 2011 Public Disclosure Authorized IEG Public Sector Evaluation Independent Evaluation Group Public Disclosure Authorized ii Currency Equivalents (annual averages) Argentina Currency Unit = Peso 1996 US$1.00 AR$1.00 2004 US$1.00 AR$2.97 1997 US$1.00 AR$1.00 2005 US$1.00 AR$3.04 1998 US$1.00 AR$1.00 2006 US$1.00 AR$3.07 1999 US$1.00 AR$1.00 2007 US$1.00 AR$3.14 2000 US$1.00 AR$1.00 2008 US$1.00 AR$3.44 2001 US$1.00 AR$1.00 2009 US$1.00 AR$3.81 2002 US$1.00 AR$3.40 2010 US$1.00 AR$3.97 2003 US$1.00 AR$2.95 2011 US$1.00 AR$4.02 iii Abbreviations and Acronyms ABC Argentina Biodiversity Conservation Project APN Administración de Parques Nacionales (National Park Service of Argentina) COFEMA Consejo Federal del Medio Ambiente (National Environmental Council) DNB Dirección Nacional de Bosques (National Directorate of Forests) GEF Global Environment Facility GIS Geographic Information System IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (The World Bank) ICR Implementation Completion Report IEG Independent Evaluation Group IEGPS IEG Public Sector Evaluation M&E Monitoring and Evaluation NFPA Native Forests and Protected Areas Project NGO Non-Governmental Organization OED Operations Evaluation Department (now called IEG) PPAR Project Performance Assessment
    [Show full text]
  • Central and South America Report (1.8
    United States NHEERL Environmental Protection Western Ecology Division May 1998 Agency Corvallis OR 97333 ` Research and Development EPA ECOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE ECOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE Glenn E. Griffith1, James M. Omernik2, and Sandra H. Azevedo3 May 29, 1998 1 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service 200 SW 35th St., Corvallis, OR 97333 phone: 541-754-4465; email: [email protected] 2 Project Officer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 200 SW 35th St., Corvallis, OR 97333 phone: 541-754-4458; email: [email protected] 3 OAO Corporation 200 SW 35th St., Corvallis, OR 97333 phone: 541-754-4361; email: [email protected] A Report to Thomas R. Loveland, Project Manager EROS Data Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Sioux Falls, SD WESTERN ECOLOGY DIVISION NATIONAL HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS RESEARCH LABORATORY OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97333 1 ABSTRACT Many geographical classifications of the world’s continents can be found that depict their climate, landforms, soils, vegetation, and other ecological phenomena. Using some or many of these mapped phenomena, classifications of natural regions, biomes, biotic provinces, biogeographical regions, life zones, or ecological regions have been developed by various researchers. Some ecological frameworks do not appear to address “the whole ecosystem”, but instead are based on specific aspects of ecosystems or particular processes that affect ecosystems. Many regional ecological frameworks rely primarily on climatic and “natural” vegetative input elements, with little acknowledgement of other biotic, abiotic, or human geographic patterns that comprise and influence ecosystems.
    [Show full text]
  • THE GIANT ARMADILLO (Priodontes Maximus) in the ARGENTINE CHACO Mastozoología Neotropical, Vol
    Mastozoología Neotropical ISSN: 0327-9383 [email protected] Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de los Mamíferos Argentina Quiroga, Verónica A.; Di Blanco, Yamil E.; Noss, Andrew; Paviolo, Agustín J.; Di Bitetti, Mario S. THE GIANT ARMADILLO (Priodontes maximus) IN THE ARGENTINE CHACO Mastozoología Neotropical, vol. 24, núm. 1, julio, 2017, pp. 163-175 Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de los Mamíferos Tucumán, Argentina Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=45753369014 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative Mastozoología Neotropical, 24(1):163-175, Mendoza, 2017 Copyright ©SAREM, 2017 http://www.sarem.org.ar Versión impresa ISSN 0327-9383 http://www.sbmz.com.br Versión on-line ISSN 1666-0536 Artículo THE GIANT ARMADILLO (Priodontes maximus) IN THE ARGENTINE CHACO Verónica A. Quiroga1, Yamil E. Di Blanco1, Andrew Noss2, Agustín J. Paviolo1, and Mario S. Di Bitetti1 1 Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS), Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Forestales (UNaM) y Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico (CeIBA). Bertoni 85; CP: 3370; Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina. [Correspondence: Verónica Andrea Quiroga <[email protected]>] 2 Department of Geography, University of Florida, 1405 NW 38th St., Gainesville, Florida, USA. ABSTRACT. The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is a difficult species to study because of low population densities, combined with nocturnal and fossorial habits.
    [Show full text]
  • Ride World Wide Argentina to Chile Grand Traverse 2021-2022
    RIDE WORLD WIDE ARGENTINA TO CHILE GRAND TRAVERSE 2021-2022 RIDE INFORMATION This 13 night riding trip begins in the Rio Negro province of Argentina, in the heart of Patagonia, and heads south from San Carlos de Bariloche, through “veranadas” (summer grazing pastures) into the Alto Chubut mountains, before crossing into Chile. The route takes you through native forests of ‘’lenga’’ and ‘’ñire’’ (southern beech trees), there are often Condors overhead, a chance to see guanaco, red deer, or even an armadillo as you ride past small settlements occupied by descendants of the nomadic Tehuelche people who have lived off this land for hundreds of years. After a week’s riding in Argentina, the route crosses Lago Puelo by boat heading into Chile’s Puelo Valley, gateway to Chilean Patagonia. This is a fabled land of fjords, milky blue rivers, blue-green lakes, snow-capped volcanoes, hanging glaciers and green forested hills. Much of the landscape is Valdivian forest, one of only a few examples of temperate rainforests left in the world - rainforest that is home to a unique collection of animals including the threatened Chilean huemul, the Kodkod (the continent’s smallest cat) and the tree-climbing southern Pudu, the world’s smallest deer. The forests themselves contain endemic Monkey Puzzle trees, a species that has existed since the time of dinosaurs as well as living specimens of the Alerce tree, dated at over 3500 years old. The rides are organised by local teams living on the Argentine and Chilean sides of the border who have many years of experience and are passionate about their horses and the countryside.
    [Show full text]