Power lines
Ten years walking power lines pole by pole, recording what we find at the foot of each one. We surveyed 1,379 poles on two provincial routes and documented which structures kill and which do not.
Projects
Long-term research, concrete interventions in the field, and outreach. These are the centre’s open fronts.
The live nest
We placed a camera above a Chaco Eagle nest and left it streaming. In twelve days, more than 90,000 people watched Yupanqui exercise his wings until he flew.
Rescue ramps in Australian water tanks
An estimated 250,000 wild animals drown each year in La Pampa’s water reservoirs, among them the Chaco Eagle and the Yellow Cardinal, both endangered. The rescue ramp — conceived and developed by José Hernán Sarasola — gives them a surface to climb out on. It has been installed on farms across the region for years.
Research lines
The underlying scientific work: which species we study and which questions we try to answer.
Buteogallus coronatus
Ecology and conservation of the Chaco Eagle in central Argentina
The Chaco Eagle or Crowned Solitary Eagle is a threatened South American raptor. Its current range covers the Chaco region and central Argentina, where we study its breeding biology, space use and the factors behind its population decline.
Scavenger communities
Structure and function of vertebrate scavenger communities
Amid the current biodiversity crisis there is growing interest in understanding how human activity affects the services ecosystems provide. This project studies the vertebrate scavenger community and the carrion removal service it delivers.
Buteo swainsoni
Ecology and conservation of Swainson’s Hawk on its wintering grounds
Swainson’s Hawk breeds in the United States and Canada and migrates to southern South America during the boreal winter. La Pampa holds a significant share of its wintering range.
Milvago chimango
Demography, behaviour and breeding biology of the Chimango Caracara
The Chimango Caracara is among the most abundant raptors of the Pampas and shows high plasticity in its habitat requirements. The project examines how that plasticity allows it to occupy agricultural and urban environments.
Power lines
Raptor mortality by electrocution on power lines
Assessment of power lines as a source of raptor mortality in central Argentina, identification of the highest-risk structures, and proposals for mitigation measures.
Falco sparverius
Breeding ecology of the American Kestrel along an agricultural gradient
The gradual replacement of traditional farming with intensive production systems alters the availability of prey and nest sites. The project assesses the effect of that gradient on the species’ breeding performance.