Linking institutional cooperation for the conservation of Chrysocyon brachyurus (order carnivora) in Argentina

CICCIA P; SOLER GL; OROZCO MM

Congreso; IVth International Wildlife Management Congress, Durban, South Africa; 2012

The maned wolf, Chrysocyon brachyurus, is a monotypic species and the biggest of South-American canids. It is categorized as "Near Threatened" by the IUCN and as ?Endangered? at national scale (± 900 individuals were estimated for Argentina in 2005). Argentine Maned Wolf Group. In order to discuss regional issues and establish comprehensive conservation actions for the species we established the GAAG - Argentine Maned Wolf Group. The GAAG comprises 16 institution-members including provincial and national government agencies, zoos, NGOs and research groups of universities and museums. The group was founded as a national strategy to develop, manage, execute and monitor the Action Plan for the Conservation of C. brachyurus in Argentina. Methodology. Between 2002 and 2011 we carried out 10 regional workshops in order to: 1.list and map threats in the wild, 2.recognize and prioritize conflicts in the wild and problematic in captivity, 3.identify and prioritize strategies and actions for its ex situ and in situ conservation, 4.develop recommendations for the conservation in the wild and to manage in captivity. Results.The results obtained comprise: 1)identification and prioritization of knowledge gaps and threats in all the maned wolf distribution, 2)design a preliminary map of critical areas, 3)development a guide of good practices for field and laboratory studies, 4)characterization of educational strategies and methodologies adapted to each region, 5)consensus about management and operational aspects 6)development of a management, rehabilitation and release protocol for confiscated individuals and 7)development of a national maned wolf studbook. Conclusions. Based on ten years of interdisciplinary cooperation we recommended to generate an efficient social network able to alert about the existence of affected animals for rescue. Conservation education is identified as the essential and indispensable tool for the survival of wild populations and this educational process would be accompanied simultaneously, with research projects based on priorities issues.