In Argentina’s Córdoba Province, less than 5% of native forests remain following years of logging, wildfires and urbanisation.

The Chaco Taguá Biological Corridor will protect a significant portion of these forests as well as large parts of the Chaqueña, the second-largest forest area in South America, which itself has faced significant deforestation due to agricultural expansion.

With this project, our partner Fundación Biodiversidad Argentina aims to connect and expand two protected areas within Córdoba, preserving threatened ecosystems and allowing native wildlife – including the once-thought extinct Chacoan Peccary – to travel safely across the landscape.

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This former sheep ranch covers 16,555 acres (6,700 ha) of Patagonian Coastal Desert Steppe habitat in Chubut Province. It is now managed for its biodiversity, including important populations of Puma, Guanaco and Patagonian Mara, as well as offshore congregations of Killer Whale and Southern Right Whale.

Fundación Patagonia Natural (FPN) protect La Esperanza through their team of rangers, who are present on the site year-round to ensure that poaching, wildfires and other threats are minimised. To provide income for the ongoing management and protection of the reserve, FPN are currently establishing ecotourism opportunities and developing facilities for visiting students and volunteers.

The reserve was badly impacted by a major fire in 2016, which burned over 9,885 acres (4,000 ha) of the reserve. Since the fire, FPN have been monitoring the recovery of the vegetation and dependent wildlife (particularly Guanaco) and increasing firefighting training and capacity for their wardens.

• EXPLORE LA ESPERANZA IN MORE DETAIL WITH OUR INTERACTIVE MAP

This reserve, managed by Fundación Biodiversidad Argentina, protects almost 11,000 acres (4,450 ha) of Yungas cloud forest in the north of the country. It serves as an important ecological corridor for the Jaguar and an Area of Importance for the Conservation of Bats (AICOM), while also providing habitat for the Tucumán Amazon, a parrot endemic to the Yungas ecoregion.

Protecting El Pantanoso is key for the conservation of the Yungas in Jujuy Province as it buffers Calilegua National Park and connects it to Estancia Urundel, restricting access for hunters, loggers and oil prospectors seeking to exploit these large, well-preserved rainforest blocks.

Following WLT’s support to create El Pantanoso in 2016, project activities now focus on the ongoing management of the reserve, funding a ranger salary, improvements to the access road and ongoing biological monitoring.

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WLT partnered with Fundación Somuncura in 2021 to create the first effective reserve on the Somuncurá Plateau, where invasive species and unsustainable land-use practices are pushing a rich array of endemic species to the brink of extinction. With support from WLT’s Buy an Acre programme, this project will protect an initial property of 4,725 ha (11,675 acres) and also fund initial management of the reserve over the first three years.

There are a number of species here that are found nowhere else on Earth, including the El Rincon Stream Frog and Naked Characin (a type of fish) that are both Critically Endangered and survive in just a single stream. Since the project began, Fundación Somuncura have restored 2km of this stream, fenced off other key sites degraded by invasive wild boars, and worked with local farmers to help manage livestock movement and protect native predators like Puma and Culpeo (Andean Fox).

• DOWNLOAD OUR PROJECT BRIEF TO FIND OUT MORE
• EXPLORE Somuncurá Plateau IN MORE DETAIL WITH OUR INTERACTIVE MAP

With this project, our partner Natura Argentina aims to create a protected area of over 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) in the dry Chaco forests bordering Bolivia and Paraguay. More than 85% of the Gran Chaco’s original forest cover has been cleared over the last 30 years, primarily to make space for mechanised agriculture and cattle grazing.

The project area is home to both local Indigenous and Creole communities who have requested, and are supportive of, a protected area designation. Up to 400,000 ha (1 million acres) will be declared as strict conservation/Indigenous areas, with integrated forest management occurring in other areas.

More than 3,400 plant species are known to survive in this ecosystem, 400 of which are endemic to the Gran Chaco. Among the 500 bird species that can be found here are Gran Chaco endemics like the Chaco Chachalaca. There are also 150 resident mammal species, including the Jaguar, Giant Anteater, Chacoan Peccary, and eight species of armadillo.

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WLT are supporting our partner Fundación Rewilding Argentina (FRA) to increase protection of the highly threatened Gran Chaco forest within Argentina’s northeastern Formosa Province.

Since 2012, FRA supported the establishment of the state-owned El Impenetrable National Park (EINP). This 128,000-hectare (316,295-acre) park safeguards the diverse habitats and species of the Gran Chaco, such as Endangered Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), Giant Armadillo (Priodontes maximus), and Crowned Solitary Eagles (Buteogallus coronatus).

The park’s ability to protect these species is compromised by illegal poaching via an access point on the Bermejo River, a critical wildlife corridor. To close off this access point and create a buffer around the park, FRA are purchasing an initial 12,780 hectares (31,580 acres) of surrounding land, of which WLT is funding 1,136 hectares (2807 acres). FRA will become the land’s initial owners, with the longer-term aim of donating it to join the EINP.

As land is acquired, FRA will begin conservation restoration activities, including the reintroduction of six keystone species including Jaguar (Panthera onca) which are crucial for an ecosystem’s overall health. FRA will also expand the promotion of wildlife-based tourism to encompass these new sites.

• EXPLORE EL PENETRABLE IN MORE DETAIL WITH OUR INTERACTIVE MAP