Written by Meredith Gutowski/WHSRN
During its annual meeting this May, the WHSRN Hemispheric Council unanimously approved the nomination of Bahía Samborombón in Argentina as a WHSRN Site of International Importance. With this designation, we celebrate Bahía Samborombón as the 85th site in the network, and the 5th in Argentina!
The 250,000-hectare site, located on the east coast of Buenos Aires Province, is administered by the provincial government’s Directorate of Natural Protected Areas as the “Bahía Samborombón Wildlife Refuge.” It includes 118 private properties devoted primarily to raising livestock. More than 100,000 shorebirds, including 11% of the global population of Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis), rely annually on the bay’s coastal and grassland habitats during long-distance migrations.
Bahía Samborombón’s designation as a WHSRN Site carries a special significance for us because it fulfills a desire of the late Pablo Canevari, former WHSRN Director and a native of Argentina, who long ago championed the importance of this site for shorebirds. The bay is also recognized as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance and contains two designated Important Bird Areas.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis). Image curtesy of WHSRN
It is our pleasure to congratulate and welcome our new WHSRN partners at Bahía Samborombón: the Directorate of Natural Protected Areas of the Province of Buenos Aires and its Provincial Sustainable Development Organization; the National Parks Administration; the City of La Costa; and the many private landowners committed to shorebird conservation in and around the bay!
For more information, contact Ricardo Cañete[anp@opds.gba.gov.ar], Director, Natural Protected Areas Directorate of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, (54) 221-4253875.