During his voyage on HMS Beagle in 1833, Charles Darwin had a chance to visit two emblematic grasslands of South America: the Pampas, and the Patagonia steppe. An acute observer and a sensitive spirit, many of the descriptions he made of these places hold true today.
Of Patagonia, he said: “The glories of the vegetation of the Tropics rise before my mind at the present time more vividly than anything else; though the sense of sublimity, which the great deserts of Patagonia and the forest-clad mountains of Tierra del Fuego excited in me, has left an indelible impression on my mind”. Patagonia has always been, and remains, a sublime landscape.
Regarding the Pampas, he had a different observation: “Few countries have undergone more remarkable changes, since the year 1535, when the first colonist of La Plata landed with seventy-two horses. The countless herds of horses, cattle, and sheep not only have altered the whole aspect of the vegetation, but they have almost banished the guanaco, deer, and ostrich” and “I doubt whether any case is on record of an invasion on so grand a scale of one plant [the cardoon] over the aborigines”. The Pampas have been for a long time now a dynamic, highly productive landscape. But there is more to the Pampas than that.
One hundred and thirty years after Darwin, another English naturalist and writer, Gerald Durrell, completed the picture: “In Buenos Aires I met an Englishman who had spent his whole life in Argentina, and when he learnt that my wife and I intended to go out into the pampa to look for animals he stared at us in genuine astonishment. ‘But, my dear chap, you won’t find anything there… absolutely nothing but grass punctuated by cows.’ Now, as a rough description of the pampa this is not wide of the mark except that life on this vast plain does not consist entirely of cows and gauchos. … Under the hot blue sky it does seem to be a dead landscape, but under the shimmering cloak of grass, and in the small forests of dry, brittle thistle-stalks the amount of life is extraordinary.” (Gerald Durrell, Encounters With Animals, 1963).
So there is more to Argentina’s grasslands than meets the eye.
According to the World Resources Institute, Argentina has more than 1.4 million km2 of grasslands, which makes it one of the 10 countries in the world with the highest amount of grassland areas. Of the country’s 18 eco regions, three of them contain grasslands: the Pampas, the Patagonia steppe and the high steppes or Puna.
Discovering Argentina’s grasslands
The Argentine Pampas cover an area of about 391,330 km2. Their terrain is relatively flat, with a slight incline toward the Atlantic Ocean. Their soils are among the most fertile in the world. This helps explain why the Pampas’ biome has been greatly changed by human intervention. It is estimated that 60% of the Pampas have been converted to other land uses, while the remainder has been grazed by cattle for more than 300 years.
Agriculture and livestock production evolved from an extensive, low productivity system at the beginning of the 20th century, to a more intensive, high input system today. Agriculture and cattle production in the Pampas rely increasingly on technology, are more productive and present new environmental challenges. Before, erosion was a big problem, as well as the use of DDT, whereas now the use of DDT has been prohibited, but pesticides are widely and increasingly used, and a tradition of monoculture prevails.
800,000 km2 of the southern cone of the American continent are made up of drylands, known as Patagonia. The Patagonian steppe has been identified as a vulnerable ecoregion and as a conservation priority in Latin America. One of its distinguishing characteristics are the high plateaus, which decline in altitude toward the east. In the northern and central regions, volcanic geoforms are a key landscape component. This landscape is a complex combination of the effect of volcanoes, the Andes and fluvioglacial activity. There are numerous lakes and glacier-fed rivers that run eastward from the Andes into the Atlantic Ocean, and in the southern tip of the continent, into the Pacific Ocean as well. The Patagonian grasslands have rich soils with plenty of fine materials and organic matter. Temperatures are between 3 C and 12 ºC on average, and rain levels are between 200 mm and 300 mm per year.
In Patagonia, sheep farming is a long standing and extensively spread economic activity, a source of a proud culture – and has environmental pressures as well on vegetation and soils. The sheep graze in confined areas where they feed on certain preferred species, putting pressure on them, affecting soil cover and thus increasing the likelihood of wind and water erosion, in some cases leading to desertification.
In the last decades, the amount of sheep has been decreasing, partly due to the deterioration of the steppes’ productivity caused by overgrazing. The rangelands’ carrying capacity has been overestimated, the animals have been inadequately distributed and the grazing has often been year-long, without giving the soil time to rest.
The high steppes, known as the Puna, are a 92,900 km2 plain, located above the 3,000 m, northwest of Argentina. Its terrain is relatively flat, with occasional mountains which form closed basins, characteristic of this ecoregion. Some of these basins have lagoons, which vary in size depending on precipitation. When those lagoons dry out, salt flats take their place. Precipitations are low, and decrease from the northeast to the southwest.
Despite the adverse natural conditions, the Puna has had settlers raising cattle, mainly the Llama (Lama glama), which is well adapted, and sheep. The Llama provides fiber and meat. However, cattle raising is not large scale, and it is distributed among small producers, which makes regulating the activity quite challenging.
The aborigines were the first to domesticate the Llama in this area, they used it for transportation and from it they obtained meat, milk, wool and leather. Nowadays, there still are groups of aborigines that raise Llama and trade its products
The grasslands’ fascinating biodiversity
As Durrell pointed out, the Pampas possess a rich biodiversity, especially of plant species, which include around 1,600 vascular plants, of which 374 are grass species. There is also a high diversity of animals: 69 species of mammals, more than 400 bird species, 31 reptiles, 23 amphibians and 49 species of fish. At least 26 of the bird species are threatened. Some of the most noticeable Pampas’ native animal species are the Pampas Deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), the Rhea (Rhea americana), the Inambu (Nothura maculosa), and the Puma (Puma concolor). These animals have been affected by habitat change due to the expansion of the agricultural frontier.
Patagonia’s vegetation is also diverse, even though many people might believe the region to be a desert. Patagonia has semi deserts and humid prairies, with an interesting variety of plant species. The plant diversity responds to the variety of precipitations, topography, temperature and soils. Nevertheless, the majority of Patagonia has low precipitations. There are grasses, shrubs, tussock and bushes. The Guanaco (Lama guanicoe), the Patagonian Mara (Dolichotis patagonum), the Chinchillón (Lagidium viscacia), reptiles like snakes, and frogs, and fish are some representatives of the native fauna. The bird diversity is modest, but it includes renown species like the Ruddyheaded Goose (Chloephaga rubidiceps) and the Hooded Grebe (Podiceps gallardoi), both of which are endangered, and the charismatic Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus). There is an ongoing debate in the Patagonian steppe around Guanaco populations, their size and whether they compete or not with sheep ranching.
In the Puna ecoregion, the low temperatures and the scarce rainfall have created a steppe vegetation, mostly made up of bushes, that don’t cover the soil completely. There is grass in the so called vegas, which are depressions where runoff water is accumulated. The fauna adapted to the environment by developing insulating hair, displacement capacity, low need for drinking water and few nutritional limitations. Fauna diversity is modest, and includes the Vicuña (Vicugna vicugna), the Guanaco, the Lesser Rhea (Rhea pennata), the Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita), the Andean Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus) and different species of ducks, among others. Despite the low biodiversity, in some places there is a great concentration of individuals, especially birds, in humid environments, such as the Pozuelos Lagoon National Park.
Much of the wildlife has been affected by hunting. A well-known case was that of the Vicuña, which was in quite serious danger, until national authorities established a strict regulation regarding its hunting and trade. The species recovered, and now populates the Puna. Vicuña are the smallest wild camelids, and the wild herbivore with the most biomass in high altitude steppes. It is well adapted to altitude and low-quality pastures, and it has the world’s finest animal fiber, highly in demand around the world, which makes it a key resource for the region.
Big, small – look after them all
Continental Argentina covers 2.8 million km2, of which more than 80% is privately owned, according to the Argentine Wildlife Foundation. As shown by the National Agricultural Census of 2002 (the last one available), around 175 million hectares of Argentina are dedicated to agricultural activities, which is approximately 62% of the whole country. There are more than 300,000 farms, small, mid-sized and large. The landholdings’ size varies according to each ecoregion. The Pampas’ landholdings size average 500 hectares. The Puna’s landholdings are closer to the 400 hectares, whereas Patagonia’s landholdings average some 7,000 hectares.
In Patagonia, almost all of the land is in private hands – less than 1% is owned by the government. Most of these privately owned lands are used for cattle ranching. As a consequence, it is crucial to work with private owners in order to promote an environmentally sound production.
Conservation lands, parks, preserves; legal tools to protect lands
The Argentine government has established a National Biodiversity Strategy and one of its targets by 2020 is to achieve 13% of protected lands in all of its territory, with at least 4% in each ecoregion, a level still below the Aichi Biodiversity Targets of at least 17% of terrestrial areas and 10% of each ecoregion conserved in protected areas by 2020.
Argentina currently has around 437 protected areas (including national, provincial and municipal), which sum up more than 331,782 km2, and represent nearly 12% of the total area of the country. In this respect, Argentina is doing quite well regarding the objectives it set for itself, but it is still distant from the percentage recommended by the Aichi Targets.
The Pampas have 9,957 km2 of protected lands, approximately 2.5% of the whole ecoregion. So there is still work to be done if Argentina is to accomplish its goals and if it is to measure itself against the Aichi Targets, regarding the Pampas. Conversely, 23.2% of the Puna is protected; more than 20,000 km2. Lastly, the Patagonia steppe has the highest amount of protected lands, near 60,000 km2, or 11,2% of the ecoregion protected.
Argentinian approach to conservation
More than 70% of Argentinians are very much or quite interested in the environment, according to a poll done by the Argentine Wildlife Foundation in 2014. And 82% of the population is very much or quite concerned about the environment. Even though people see themselves as highly interested and concerned about the environment, they see other people, the government and private companies much less interested and preoccupied. Furthermore, more than 80% of the population consider the environmental situation in Argentina to be negative or not so good.
Social involvement in environmental issues has been increasing these last few years, as well as the amount of Non-Governmental Organizations, and initiatives to care for the environment. However, there is still plenty of room for progress: 73% of the people interviewed didn’t participate in activities to look after the environment during 2014. There is, apparently, a need for “a little less conversation, and a little more action”.
What role do NGOs have?
There are a number of NGOs that support the conservation of grasslands in Argentina. Either through education, research, the donation of lands to create protected areas, the development of measures to make economic activities less harmful to the environment, lobbying government agencies, and installing topics in the media, these organizations are very important players.
The Argentina Wildlife Foundation (FVSA), for example, helped create and donated the first national park in the Buenos Aires province to the national government. This park was created to protect the Pampas ecoregion and the Pampas deer. Furthermore, FVSA promotes the development of private reserves in Argentina, which are privately owned lands that are managed with sustainable standards. These private reserves are grouped together in a Network of Wildlife Refuges, coordinated by the foundation, to complement the job done by the national and provincial governments. The Network now has 20 private reserves in 12 provinces, which protect 198,144 hectares. In addition, the FVSA promotes sustainable livestock production in the Pampas, mainly by developing and distributing good practice guidelines.
Another interesting regional NGO initiative is Alianza del Pastizal, led by Birdlife International, which works to promote grassland conservation in South America. The Argentine NGO Aves Argentinas is part of this alliance, which works to make livestock production more sustainable, by developing standards to evaluate and certify the so called “grasslands’ meat”. This certified meat is already being sold in supermarkets.
The North American non-profit Conservation Land Trust has bought large amounts of territory to create protected lands in the Patagonia steppes’ grasslands. One of the success stories is that of El Rincón, a property which Douglas Tompkins (founder of Conservation Land Trust) bought in the early 90s and then donated to the national government. When he bought it, the area’s grasslands were quite deteriorated due to overgrazing. Nowadays, after the removal of the cattle, the signs of improvement are encouraging.
The Nature Conservancy is yet another of the NGOs working to promote sustainable agriculture in the Pampas and the Patagonia steppes. To do so, it bought Fortín Chacabuco, a 5,200 hectare property, which functions as a sustainable grasslands demonstration site. Local communities, children, ranchers, producers, conservation leaders, scientists and government officials receive education at the Fortín, and almost 20 research projects are held there.
In addition, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) works to promote the creation of protected areas in Patagonia, as well as the proper management of these areas; it also strives to encourage private owners to adopt environmentally friendly practices in their properties. The WCS also monitors wildlife to measure the effectiveness of their work.
Accomplishments
As we’ve mentioned before, three of Argentina’s 18 ecoregions contain grasslands: the Pampas, the Patagonia steppe and the high steppes or Puna. All of them have been affected by human intervention. However, there a number of noteworthy achievements as well as ongoing initiatives to protect them. To begin with, there is useful available information regarding the state of Argentina’s grasslands, which is crucial for their conservation and management. Furthermore, the three ecoregions that contain grasslands are currently protected in some degree. In addition, the concepts and approaches of production and land conservation are becoming increasingly compatible. Examples of this are OVIS XXI, a network of more than 160 producers, which works to increase cattle productivity while regenerating grasslands, it is the Argentine hub of the Savory Institute; CREA Environment, an association of agricultural producers, which studies the impact of agriculture on the environment.
Yet another example that shows that production and conservation are becoming more compatible is the Fundación Producir Conservando (Produce While Conserving Foundation), that has been working to promote a more “conservation friendly” agricultural production for the last 20 years. Other interesting initiatives come from the public sector. This year, the Ministry of Agriculture launched a national plan to manage soil degradation problems and to organize soil information using technological tools in order to find solutions that are both profitable and environmentally sustainable.
Additionally, the Secretary of Environment leads a national plan to fight desertification and land degradation, through education, public policy, and science and technology, among other measures.
Along Argentina’s history, its grasslands have been viewed as “deserts”, later on as “a sea of grass”, and in the early 20th century as the “world’s barn”.
Now, we are finally starting to acknowledge that the grasslands are a crucial biome that needs to be looked after. There is still a long way to go, but we seem to be rightly headed.
LINKS
Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina (FVSA)
https://www.vidasilvestre.org.ar/
The Nature Conservancy – Argentina
https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-wework/latin-america/argentina/
Fundación Producir Conservando
http://www.producirconservando.org.ar/
CREA
https://www.crea.org.ar/
OVIS XXI
http://www.ovis21.com/
Wildlife Conservation Society
https://argentina.wcs.org/es-es/
Conservation Land Trust
http://www.theconservationlandtrust.org/
Alianza del Pastizal
http://www.alianzadelpastizal.org/
Argentina National Parks Administration
https://www.parquesnacionales.gob.ar/
Biodiversity Information System (managed by Argentina’s National Parks Administration)
https://sib.gob.ar///#!
