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March - April 2015

Vida Silvestre s work on Sustainable Beef is awarded by the National Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation

The Argentine Minister of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, Dr Lino Baraao, awarded the Fidel Roig prizes for 2014 which
recognize those projects that apply the results of research in initiatives related to sustainable use of the countrys biodiversity.
Among the winners was the project A sustainable cattle management that reconciles production and the conservation of biodiversity the
situation of Campos del Tuyu National Park and cattle farms in Samborombon Bay, province of Buenos Aires. This is an interdisciplinary project
resulting from a specific agreement between Vida Silvestre and the National Institute for Research in Science and Technology (CONICET), the
Buenos Aires Institute of Ecology, Genetics and Evolution, a sustainable production model combining cattle raising and the conservation of
grasslands with its biodiversity, substantiating this model by putting it into practice on the grasslands of Samborombon Bay neighboring Campos
del Tuyu National Park and extending its application and spreading the message to a regional level in the lowland Pampas.
To view the publication and the results of this project:
http://www.vidasilvestre.org.ar/sala_redaccion/opublicaciones/?10520/Ganadera-sustentable-de-Pastizal-Producir-y-conservar-es-posible
Its important to mention that the land of Campos del Tuy National Park was donated by FVSA to the National Parks Administration in 2009, to
create the first national park in Buenos Aires province, and the first one in the Pampas area.

A chance for sustainable fisheries: 9% of the worlds whitefish comes from Argentina

Vida Silvestre presented its Study of the argentine whitefish markets supply with the presence of Dr Miguel Bustamante, the
Undersecretary of Fisheries and Agriculture.
The report indicates that fishing in Argentina is at a critical stage when decisions must be taken, to ensure the sustainability of the fishing
grounds and access to the markets.
Argentina exports over 90% of it fisheries production while the export of whitefish reaches 9% of the world production of these species. While
the tendency in world markets is to generate a growing demand of products from sustainable fishing-grounds, Argentina is in a good position to
take advantage of this opportunity and become a producer of responsible fishing products.
More information:
http://awsassets.wwfar.panda.org/downloads/estudio_de_mercado_de_la_cadena_de_suministro_de_pescado_blanco_proveniente_de_la_republ.pdf

Climate change is a reality in Samborombon Bay (Buenos Aires)

The land around Samborombon Bay is one of the largest wetlands of Argentina (+/- 250,000 hectares) surrounded by the most extensive areas
of the lower Pampas grasslands and home of the Pampas Deer, seriously threatened.
According to a study by Vida Silvestre, climate change is AFFECTING Samborombon bay, accelerating its natural erosion. The coast is retreating
faster (some 80 cm per year), affecting production, the local population, biodiversity and the areas environmental services.
Link: http://awsassets.wwfar.panda.org/downloads/aportes_para_abordar_la_adaptacion_al_cc_en_la_bahia_samborombon___fvsa_baja.pdf

Earth Hour: Are you a hero yet?

Over 4500 people enjoyed the Estelares show at the Buenos Aires planetarium.
This year the theme was an hour to become aware a lifetime to be a hero and, in this regard, Vida Silvestre invited to use ones power to lead
the changes that the planet needs. 41 municipalities from 14 different provinces joined the initiative; some 90 businesses adhered to the
message by turning off all their lights, and spread the message in different ways. In addition, 50.000 US dollars were raised thanks to the
support of: HSBC (main sponsor); Allianz, Carrefour, Coca-Cola, Honda, LAN Argentina and Quilmes (sponsors).
A total of 124 celebrities mentioned the Earth Hour campaign on Twitter. This raised the number of potential public to some 51,596,300
users.
In the previous days to Earth Hour, amongst other things, two football clubs carried the Earth Hour flag onto the pitch: Boca Juniors and Velez
Sarfield; we were present in Lollapalooza with a stand; in Noche y Da (Night and Day), an argentine TV series there was a scene in which
several actors spoke about Earth Hour; and200 vehicles of the N 60 bus-line, the most traditional in Buenos Aires, had inside ads of our
campaign.
More information:
http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=U14SC5mWSx4

HSBC renewed its support to our work in the Atlantic Forest of Misiones Province.

Vida Silvestre renewed for two years its partnership with HSBC and received a donation of Usd 800,000 from the bank as part of their worldwide HSBC Water Program to help ensure the availability of good water from the local community, thus improving health conditions and the
productive capacity of their land, promoting the recovery and maintenance of forests, especially in areas of water-catchments. The project
foresees the development of communications and educational materials for the local community and schools in the region regarding the
importance of water in the eco-system. The project will reach 4700 direct beneficiaries.
This initiative is part of the eco-regional action plan of the Atlantic Forest that is jointly carried out by Vida Silvestre, WWF Paraguay and WWF
Brazil, with the support of WWF- CH, WWF-NL, WWF-Germany and WWF-LAC.