ARGENTINA, SOUTH AMERICA
Esteros del Iberá
The Iberá Park is the largest natural park in Argentina. Iberá is an immense wetland, surrounded by grasslands and scattered with forest patches. The area is a mixture of swamps, marshes, lakes and lagoons. After the Pantanal in Brazil, the Esteros del Iberá are the largest wetlands in the world. Since 1982, the Esteros del Iberá have been part of a protected area that covers 14% of the province of Corrientes, making it the largest protected area in Argentina. The area is also one of the most important freshwater reservoirs on the continent.
What makes it special
In the 1970s, jaguars and giant otters were wiped out by hunters and farmers. US multi-billionaire Douglas Tompkins bought much of the swamp in the 1990s and had it restored. Jaguars, giant otters and anteaters were also released as part of the restoration.
Protection status
· Ramsar Site 1162, Wetland of International Importance
· Iberá National Park
· Iberá Provincial Reserve
Threats
The Iberá wetlands may be threatened by both climate and land-use changes, making their protection and monitoring a priority.
Our Work
Fundación Rewilding Argentina was created to confront and reverse the species extinction crisis and the resulting environmental degradation, to restore the health of natural ecosystems and promote the well-being of local communities. They employ a rewilding approach to conservation -everything they do can be measured in land and sea protected, wildlife populations recovered, and neighboring communities prospering as a consequence of conservation.
Fundación Rewilding Argentina works on rewilding projects in the most threatened ecoregions in Argentina including the Iberá Wetlands.
Fundación Rewilding Argentina
www.rewildingargentina.org
info@rewildingargentina.org
