A new study published in the journal Oryx shows that collaborative approaches to conservation can give hope to endangered species such as the South Andean deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus), a species found only in the Latin American region of Patagonia.
The South Andean deer, Hippocamelus bisulcus, is returning to former habitat thanks to collaborative conservation efforts (Alejandro Vila)
The South Andean deer, also known as the Chilean guemal or huemul deer, “is bouncing back from the brink of possible extinction as a result of collaboration between conservationists and the Chilean government,” study authors said.
A national symbol that features on the Chilean coat-of-arms, the South Andean deer are estimated to have suffered reductions of 99 per cent in size since the 19th century, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Researchers believe 50 per cent of this decline has come in recent years, with only 2,500 deer now left in the wild.
The South Andean deer is a naturally tame and approachable animal, which led to it becoming easy prey for hunters, particularly with the arrival of European colonists in the area who would hunt the deer for meat to feed their dogs.
Recent increases by local farmers in the practice of releasing cattle indiscriminately into national parkland for retrieval later in the year has damaged the habitats of endemic wildlife such as the South Andean deer, and, coupled with continued hunting of the species, deer populations plummeted.
The joint efforts of conservationists and researchers with government and private initiatives created a small number of field stations in this remote natural paradise on the tip of South America – one of the least populated areas of the world, requiring a boat trip of two days along the region’s stunning fjords to reach.
This created a base for monitoring endangered species and natural habitats, as well as a team of park rangers enforcing conservation laws that had never been policed on the ground.
The impact was almost immediate, within five short years – from 2004 to 2008 – the deer population in the national park not only stabilized but also began to increase, with deer coming down from the hostile mountain areas it had sought refuge in and back to the sea-level valleys where it naturally thrives.
“National parks are at the heart of modern conservation, but there has to be an investment in management and protection on the ground. You can’t just have a ‘paper park’, where an area is ring-fenced on a map but physically ignored,” said study co-author Dr Cristobal Briceno from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Archaeology and Anthropology.
“Our results suggest that synergistic conservation actions, such as cattle removal and poaching control, brought about by increased infrastructure, can lead to the recovery of species such as the threaten South Andean deer.”
______
Bibliographic information: Cristobal Briceno et al. 2013. Detecting an increase in an Endangered huemul Hippocamelus bisulcus population following removal of cattle and cessation of poaching in coastal Patagonia, Chile. Oryx, vol. 47, no. 02, pp. 273-279; doi: 10.1017/S0030605312000014
