From the Ramsar Forum

A small bog in Bariloche

(posted to the Ramsar Forum, 10 January 2004)

From: Grace in Patagonia [juliograce@ciudad.com.ar]
Sent: 10 January 2004
To: ramsar-forum@indaba.iucn.org
Subject: [Ramsar Forum] Small bog in Bariloche

Hello all:

For the past year and a half I have been working on a plan to protect a small bog of about 22 hectares in the Province of Rio Negro, Patagonia, Argentina. This bog used to connect to the Lake Nahuel Huapi and in the 30's it was studied by the Finnish Vaino Auer. At the moment this site is privately owned by several people who are filling it up little by little destroying its ecosystem. Even so there is a large area which could be preserved and protected. We have written two research papers and several professionals have written reports to emphasize its importance. We have met with neighbors and neighborhood representatives, authorities, and had a workshop "An Ecosystem at Risk". Presently we are trying to make the authorities see the need to preserve this by placing a hold on all activities taking place there. We expect the city expropriate the land. Even if we succeed with this action we still need to make further studies to implement a management plan. Wetlands are environmental archives and as little is known about the holocene in Patagonia preserving sites such as this one we are also preserving a bit of history. At this time I am working with a team (we are all volunteers) of professionals but we have very limited resources and are quickly running out of time. Any ideas?

Grace in Patagonia

From: Michael Trepel (michael@ecology.uni-kiel.de)
Sent: 11 January 2004
Subject: Threatened wetlands

Dear Grace,

I have read your e-mail about your small bog in the Ramsar Forum. As you know IMCG (International Mire Conservation Group) is concerned about the future of mire and peatlands all over the world.

To emphasize the importance of mire conservation, we have established a web page about threatened mires and peatlands -- go to http://www.imcg.net/. Click 'Threatened peatlands' at the top of the page; on the upcoming page you find a form as a doc file or as an online form. Please fill out the form and send the information (maybe together with a picture (*jpg format) back to me.

If you have any comments on how to improve the form, please inform me as well.

I will put this information on the webpage as soon as I get them.

Additionally I suggest that you may write something for the IMCG newsletter to inform a wider public about your concerns.

best wishes

Michael Trepel --

mailto:michael@ecology.uni-kiel.de
Ecology-Centre http://www.ecology.uni-kiel.de/~mtrepel/
D-24098 Kiel, Germany
Fax 00 49 (0) 431 880 4083

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To join the Ramsar Forum, send a blank message to ramsar-forum-join@indaba.iucn.org.   For more information on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ). Posted 14 January 2004, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.