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WWF's
Approved Projects
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WWF in Hispanic South America Hispanic South America is remarkably rich in biological diversity. To protect this unique treasure of nature, WWF is involved in nine countries in the region--Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Colombia's inventory of species is impressive. Ten per cent of all plant and animal species on earth, more species of birds than any other country, a fifth of the world's bat species, a sixth of all vertebrate species, and over a third of all neotropical primates can be found here. In addition, a third of its flora and one-eighth of its terrestrial vertebrates are found nowhere else on earth. A variety of ecosystems, ranging from deserts and savannah plains to coastal wetlands, Amazonian rainforest and frostlands of the Andean mountains make this diversity possible. Equally diverse is Peru, the largest country in the tropical Andean region. If it has parched coastal deserts on one side, tropical rainforests cover the other. Between these two extremes are dry forests, high grasslands, dwarf and cloud forests, and snow-capped mountains, some above 6,800 m. Most of Peru's biological diversity is concentrated in the forests on the eastern slopes of the Andes and in the coastal and marine waters. More than 1,600 bird species have been recorded here, half of these in a single protected area, the Manu National Park. Besides, the country's plankton-rich coastal and marine systems support a wide variety of fish, shellfish, birds and marine mammals. The vast Amazon river is home to some 9,000 species of fish. Peru also houses some 360 mammal species, including endangered ones such as the yellow-tailed woolly monkey, the jaguar and the giant river otter. Peru is estimated to have more than five million species of beetles. On one single tree, scientists once found some 2,000 different insect species--48 of them ants. At the crossroads of major ecosystems such as Amazonia, the Chaco, the Pantanal, and the Andes, land-locked Bolivia is home to a third of the bird species found in South America. Along with Peru, it is among the 12 centres of origin of crops such as potatoes and beans. The country also has half of the mammal species of Mexico and Central America. Ecuador rivals its neighbours in specie-richness. It is home to 20,000 plant species, over 1,400 bird species, and some 800 reptile and amphibian species. In fact, the country is believed to have the highest concentration of species per unit area in South America. Offshore lie the Galapagos Islands, among the first natural sites to receive World Heritage status. In the heart of the continent lies Paraguay. It has humid Atlantic forests in the east, grasslands and wetlands in the centre, and dry thorn forests (chaco)--unique to South America--in the west. The number of plant species found here: an impressive 8,000. A wide variety of plant and animal species are also found in Venezuela's mountains, forests, plains and valleys. Some 12 per cent of its freshwater fish varieties are endemic, and almost half of all bird species in South America are found here. Equally rich are Chile's marine and coastal ecosystems, with the fifth highest trawl of fish in the world. Chile also boasts a distinctive temperate rainforest known as Valdivian forest. Argentina, the continent's second largest country after Brazil, has 13 terrestrial and marine ecosystems. These include the high Andes, puna (cold desert), the Atlantic coast, yunga (sub-tropical cloud forest), chaco dry thorn forests, and pampas (grasslands). Its neighbour, Uruguay, is the smallest of WWF's nine-country family in HSA. Although richly endowed by nature, this region has come under severe pressure from economic development. The current emphasis on free trade, privatization and market forces is threatening the environment. There is scant concern for environmental policies. Chile's new status as an economic miracle, for example, has been achieved at the expense of its natural resource base. Its trading partners are pressuring it to replace its unique Vadivian forest with pine and eucalyptus plantations. Privatization is proving fatal with resources such as forests, minerals and oil being targeted. People are leaving rural communities for jobs in the city. While almost half the population of Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay still lives in villages, 70 per cent of Colombians, Peruvians and some 85 per cent of Venezuelans, Argentineans, Chileans and Uruguayans have made the shift to cities. Natural resource management is, therefore, increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few land-owning elite eager to make quick profits. Besides, growing urbanization and consumption is chipping away at natural resources. Paraguay, for example, already tops South America's deforestation rate, largely because of agricultural expansion, fuelwood consumption and lumbering in the country. Elsewhere in the continent, colonization has led to deforestation as new roads open up yet more agricultural frontiers. Next in line may be Choco, one of the most threatened regions in Colombia and Ecuador. The economic spin-off is obvious. Colombia's Choco forests provide more than half the nation's timber, its marine resources are under-exploited, it has potential mineral wealth and vast water resources believed to be sufficient to meet much of the country's energy needs. Several roads and hydroelectric projects are already underway. Making the conservation task difficult is the political and civil unrest in certain areas. This is in turn fuelled by the drugs trade and guerrilla insurgency, especially in Colombia. The drugs trade has led to massive deforestation in Colombia as vast fragile cloud forests are cleared for lucrative poppy plantations. Similarly, in Bolivia, forests have been felled for coca leaf plantations, used for cocaine production. Some countries of the region, including Paraguay and Peru, have been implicated for contraband trade in wildlife and wildlife products. Nearly a third of all wildlife exports from the developing world come from South America. This, despite the fact that all the countries involved are members of CITES. WWF's conservation programme in Hispanic South America goes beyond just protected area management. Its aim is to ensure that national development policies are environment-friendly. WWF also promotes environmental education in South America, besides supporting NGOs in their efforts. Its other concerns: creation and maintenance of protected areas; promotion of sustainable development; conservation of endangered species; building local capacity; and promotion of international treaties and legislation on key environmental issues. A cornerstone of WWF's Hispanic South America programme was the establishment of a broad-based conservation programme that combines protected areas and natural resource management within a representative set of ecosystems in the region. These include the Choco region (Utria Sound, Colombia), the Amazon (Rio Abesio National Park, Manu, Peru); Beni Biological Reserve (Bolivia); high Andes (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador); marine and coastal areas (Puracas marine reserve, Peru); Pacific dry forests (Noroeste Biosphere Reserve, Peru); and subtropical and temperate forests (Valdivian forests, Chile; Misiones region, Atlantic forest). A stable income, health care, clean environment and education for the rural people make up the centrepiece of WWF's management policies. This means keeping a balance between the human need for progress and the equally important need to conserve biological diversity. WWF plays a key role in promoting a strong and self-reliant conservation movement within the region, and working with grassroots organizations and public authorities. WWF provides institutional support to many groups to improve their management skills and fund-raising capabilities. There is special emphasis on environmental education. Projects include the development of a conservation education curriculum in Argentina; support for environmental education training programmes in Colombia and Peru; and backing to popular journals in Peru and Colombia which focus on the environment. WWF also monitors regional trade agreements that could harm the environment. It encourages local leaders, through training programmes, to take up environmental concerns. One of WWF's biggest achievements in the region is helping develop a regional grassroots movement to mobilize support for conservation programmes. In addition to setting up training workshops, NGO participation is being encouraged in the development of an Environment Trust Fund in Colombia. In Ecuador, a US$10 million debt-for-nature swap was established in 1988. A trust fund managed by WWF's Associate Ecuadorian Fundacion Natura, it finances a wide range of conservation activities. These include: studies of conservation and development problems such as oil exploration in rainforests and new legislation for protected areas, protected area management and training; conservation of Ecuador's biologically diverse western forests and training and support for partner NGOs. WWF's pioneering work in the region seems to be paying off. As a result of its efforts, international donors have been alerted to the need to raise money for conservation. This money should, hopefully, now translate into action.
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Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature