Conserving puma-camelid-scavenger interactions and their ecosystem effects in the Patagonia and high Andean Steppe

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

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Dates / Project duration

July 2019 - June 2022 / 3 years

Field of action :

Increase knowledge of biodiversity Conservation of endangered species

Branch :

Monaco

Location :

Argentina

Project sponsor(s) :

The Regents of the University of California

Interactions between large predators and mammals are essential due to their ecological impact, which helps to regulate ecosystems and the value they hold for the local economy and cultural heritage.

Recent environmental research has shown that when large carnivores limit their predatory activity towards dominant prey species, they indirectly increase the diversity of prey. Equally, when they limit predatory activity towards herbivores, they indirectly assist the growth of plants and habitats that are vital to ecosystem diversity.

However, pumas and many other large carnivores are in decline since their food habits and movements disproportionately expose them to human threats such as changes in land use, diseases introduced by humans, invasive species and direct conflicts with people over shared resources.

It is with this aim in mind that the Regents of the University of California organisation is developing a new ecological research and public awareness programme to protect the vital puma-camelid food chain in the Patagonian Desert.

Photo : ©Dario Podesta