The Huemul, a species of deer found only in the Latin American region of Patagonia, is bouncing back from the brink of possible extinction as a result of collaboration between conservationists and the Chilean government, says a new study.
By controlling cattle farming and policing to prevent poaching in the Bernardo O’Higgins National Park – a vast “natural Eden” covering 3.5 million hectares – conservation efforts have allowed the deer to return to areas of natural habitat from which it had completely disappeared.
Researchers are hailing the findings as an example of collaborations between local government and scientists leading to real conservation success, and a possible model for future efforts to maintain the extraordinary biodiversity found in this part of Chile.
The study by researchers from Cambridge, the Wildlife Conservation Society and CONAF, the Chilean national forestry commission, was released in the journal Oryx, published by conservation charity Fauna and Flora International.
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Image: The endangered Huemul deer, a Chilean icon, is returning to former habitat thanks to collaborative conservation efforts.
Credit: Alejandro Vila
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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Resurgence of endangered deer in Patagonian ‘Eden’ highlights conservation success
17 April 2013
New research shows that collaborative approaches to conservation can give hope to endangered species such as Chilean national icon the Huemul deer.