An organization from Chile and Argentine authorities will promote the first Transnational Corridor for the huemul deer.
The announcement was made during the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Southern Huemul Conservation Center, led by the Huilo Huilo Foundation. It took place in the Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve (located in the Los RÃos Region).
During the ceremony, the organization and the Argentine National Parks Administration (APN) signed a Joint Declaration to promote the first Transnational Corridor for the huemul.
The first Huemul Transnational Corridor
The agreement aims to create the necessary conditions for the huemul to move naturally and safely. It will be along a vast protected area that naturally connects the Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve (Chile) and the Neuquén Province (Argentina), where the Nahuel Huapi and LanÃn National Parks are located.
The executive director of the Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve, Alexandra Petermann, highlighted that since its creation in 2005, the Southern Huemul Conservation Center has achieved significant progress.
“Thanks to a committed team, the support of experts, authorities, and communities, it was possible to recover the huemul in our region after decades of being extinct,” she said.
The Center has around 40 specimens that are reproducing and occupying the territory naturally and gradually. “This allows us to move towards a new dream of repopulating the Southern Andes of Patagonia,” she expressed.
Joint Work
The executive director of the Huilo Huilo Foundation, Rodolfo Menichetti, provided further details.
“We share a history of collaborative work with the Argentine National Parks Administration that is bearing fruit. This new Joint Declaration strengthens this cooperation, coordination, and exchange of information and experience to support the conservation of the huemul and all biodiversity present in the territory through this corridor,” he stated.
The executive also explained that the agreement operates on three lines of action: species and habitat conservation, community empowerment through education and training, and promotion of sustainable tourism focused on protecting the environment and local development.
“Experience has shown us that, to conserve the forest and its biodiversity, it is essential to involve people in nature conservation. That’s why this agreement includes them,” Menichetti said.
Guillermo DÃaz Cornejo, spokesperson for the APN board, revealed the organization’s intention.
“We also aim, eventually, to have our own breeding centers in Argentina to exchange specimens, learning from the successful experience of the Huilo Huilo Foundation, which has scientifically demonstrated that the reintroduction of the huemul is possible,” he stated.
The corridor is already operational
During the event, it was recalled that, in February of this year, “Newenche,” a huemul from the Southern Huemul Conservation Center born in the wild, naturally crossed through this corridor.
It reached the Neuquén Province, passing through the LanÃn National Park and the Nahuel Huapi National Park.
This meant the return of the species to an area from which it had been extinct for 30 years.
Today, the expert teams from the Conservation Center and the APN work together to monitor Newenche and implement conservation, awareness, and management measures in the area to ensure its safety.
