S America species endangered: Study

Sat Jul 9, 2011

Some important animal species are in danger of extinction in 92 percent of South America's protected areas, a new study suggests.

According to the study by the Institute of Natural Resources Analysis of Argentina, over 80 percent of the 1511 protected areas in South America are being threatened by the advancement of agriculture and other land use, a Press TV correspondent reports.

One of the species deeply affected is the magnificent jaguar, the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, which lives in the north of Argentina.

Director of the Wild Life Foundation Diego Romero says that there are not enough protected areas to secure the jaguar population in the South American country.

"Protected areas cover a small part of Argentina. Following the advancement of land management practices, they've become sort of islands that only protect a small population," Romero said.

The study concludes that big mammals in South America must be technologically assisted to avoid their extinction, and there should be plans to create centers where the animals receive reproductive and alimentary supplements.

Romero considers the protected areas in South America as the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation.

"Protected areas are important for scientific and research purposes. They also play an important role in tourism. Sixty percent of foreign tourists come to Argentina to visit these areas," he said.

Other experts believe it is also important to protect fragile ecosystems that surround protected areas going through a process of degradation, and facing fauna and flora extinction.

"We must also protect the areas surrounding them, such as the forests in the center and the northern region that are in danger [of deforestation]," Climate and Forests Campaign Coordinator of Greenpeace Hernan Giardini said.

He added that Argentina has lost two million hectares of forests due to the spread of soybean and stockbreeding activities.

"The devastation of millions of hectares of native forests led to the loss of biodiversity and the [destruction of the] habitat of endangered species, like jaguar," he pointed out.

Experts say that pressures and lobbying from domestic and international corporations prevent Argentina and other Latin American countries from carrying out comprehensive state policies on key environmental issues affecting their economic interests.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/188234.html.