This particular conservation project started more than a decade ago, when a group of conservationists doing research in the Buenos Aires lake plateau, found that the critically endangered hooded grebe’s numbers were shockingly low. Once again, Doug and Kris Tompkins and their team, along with other organizations, decided to do something to protect this precious patch of wild land.
We went there on assignment for Rewilding Argentina, one of the organizations that are currently working in the area following up on Tompkins’ work. The task was to portray the incredible attributes of this mythical National Park during the winter, while getting to know specifically what local conservationists are working on, and analyze how WAW could specifically collaborate with them.
For that purpose, we joined Rewilding’s own Franco Bucci for a few days of tracking pumas with GPS collars that the foundation are studying, with the objective of strengthening the species conservation. Furthermore; in order to get a grasp on the impact that the conservation project is having on the local economy, we hired an experienced local guide, Facundo Epul, a.k.a El Choique Guía, and went looking for wildlife in the park, while getting insights on the overall project, and how it has benefitted the community.
Winter in this area is tough. Below zero temperatures, blizzards, and short days are certain here. But the area’s inherent beauty at the meditative time of the year is undoubtedly worth experiencing. The snow covered mountain ranges, the peculiar change in wildlife behavior, and the low number of visitors provide the experience with a special touch, compared to the rest of the year. Even if you crash a drone and subsequently have to trek for a few miles through the icy mountains in order to retrieve it, you get rewarded! Maybe you will even get a chance to have more than 10 huge condors flying right by you with breathtaking landscapes all around! Maybe they will be so close to you that you will be able to hear the silent sound of their massive wings while they glide above your head!
