N. Luis Jacome’s research while affiliated with Buenos Aires Ciudad and other places

Presentation of a reintroduction programm in the Argentinian Patagonia for Adean condor (Vultur gryphus). The project, called "El Retorno del Condor al Mar" (The Return of the Condor to the Sea) is a program run by the "Plan Integral para la Conservacion del Condor Andino".

Massive deaths of Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) prompted a National Strategy Against the Use of Toxic Baits in Argentina, based on 6 lines of action: 1) delivery of kits and unified intervention protocols in cases of wildlife poisoning, 2) community education programs, 3) surveys of rural people, 4) training courses and participatory construction workshops, 5) toxicology studies, and 6) an academic-scientific committee made up of specialists in toxicology. The strategy was developed in the 14 provinces of the country where the Andean condor is distributed. 554 people from 166 institutions have participated in the trainings and workshops, reporting 200 poisoning events involving more than 21000 individuals from 61 species. Birds and mammals were the groups most affected, and further, human victims show the impact on public health. 19 toxic substances were identified, mainly insecticides. This study proved that carbofuran is the toxic most used. Analysis of bait types suggests a significant conflict with carnivores. 195 surveys revealed that almost half of the farmers know people who use toxic baits and that the negative perception towards some species could determine their use. The strategy began to address the problem of the use of toxic baits in Argentina in a strategic, participatory and regional way, through the management of public policies and scientific research. We propose actions to work on the causes that lead to the application of this dangerous practice. Given its extensive use, we believe that this strategy can be adapted and applied in other countries in the region.

The Andean condor Vultur gryphus is the largest bird in the world with flight capacity. For thousands of years the Andean condor has been honoured as a sacred link between space and humans by indigenous communities. In the last 100 years, the range of this emblematic species contracted rapidly and the Andean condor was pronounced extinct at both ends of its endemic South American range, in Venezuela and on the Atlantic coast of Patagonia. The Andean condor appears in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and is listed as in 'Danger of Extinction' by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, this species is classified as Near Threatened. In 1991, the Andean Condor Conservation Program (PCCA: Programa Conservación Cóndor Andino) was founded in Argentina. The PCCA started by performing genetic analyses and documenting the condor population in zoological institutions in a Latin American regional studbook. The PCCA then developed artificial-incubation programmes and techniques for hand rearing birds without human contact, and worked to rescue and rehabilitate wild condors. The PCCA has succeeded in rearing 57 chicks and rescuing 197 wild condors. This paper describes the strategy used by the PCCA to reintroduce 160 condors throughout South America.

Andean Condors (Vultur gryphus) are endangered in the northern portion of their South American range, but populations are larger further south. However, throughout their range, little is known about current population sizes and dynamics. Andean Condors use cliffs with shelves as communal roosts and, from 1999 to 2001, we surveyed three of these roosts in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina, to estimate population sizes and trends. The minimum population of Andean Condors in our study area was 196, one of the highest populations recorded for this species. The maximum number of condors observed increased during our 3-yr study. However, there was a strong seasonal pattern in roost use and use also varied among roosts, possibly due to differences in their environmental characteristics, size, and room available for roosting, as well as proximity to nest sites and stage of the breeding season. In 1999 and 2000, more adults were observed than juveniles, but proportions were similar in 2001. Because we observed differential use of roosts among age classes, spatial segregation seems probable. We conclude that intensive censuses of communal roosts can provide useful information about the size, status, and dynamics of local populations. However, the large aggregations we observed may represent a potential risk for the conservation of the species because a single threat could affect multiple individuals. We suggest that a suitable conservation strategy for condors must involve the design and protection of a network of communal roosts.