Argentina: Conservation in Action

The Catt-Trax2 Team — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 14:38:10 -0800

The following people and organizations are actively involved in conservation in Argentina:

Liliana Nikolic Kayaking Guide and Instructor Buenos Aires	Jose Calo Park Ranger Iguazú National Park
Pablo Bordino Director, AquaMarine & Researcher Buenos Aires	Claudio Campagna Elephant seal expert National Research Council of Argentina
Jason and Nicole Apple Owners/Managers Xclusive Xpeditions

Liliana Nikolic

SDK Kayaks, Buenos Aires, Argentina

My name is Liliana Nikolic. I am an Argentine kayaking guide and instructor working in the area of the Delta del Paraná. I was born in Buenos Aires and now I live close to the city, in San Isidro. I have a university degree in Tourism and postgraduate studies in Management.

I started traveling quite early in my life and somehow I always new I was going to work in something related to nature. Furthermore, since many years ago I started getting interested in bird watching, photography and ecology. All of this made me study to become a nature guide in the area.

I love everything about my job. How wonderful it is! It gives me the chance to meet people from other countries, do my job in contact with nature and learn from it each day. Best of all, I can show people coming from all over the world how marvellous is the Delta del Paraná.

What has been the most memorable moment or event in your career?

In 2000, while traveling in Alaska, I met a kayaking guide who invited me to kayak in the Kenai Fjords. It was a turning point in my life. I decided to quit my previous job and fully dedicate myself to kayaking.

Who or what has been a major inspiration to you?

At that stage, my major inspiration was Ricardo Kruszewski, owner of SDK Kayaks. He has some amazing accomplishments in sea kayaking, having led expeditions to Cape Horn (I invite you to search the place on a map) and Antarctica. He introduced sea kayaking to Argentina almost thirty years ago and has been working endlessly since then for the sake of this activity.

In your opinion what is the biggest challenge facing the world (or your part of the world) today?

Regarding tourism and nature in the Delta area, the biggest challenge would be managing natural resources in order to protect them for future generations while at the same time having visitors experience a unique sensation. Not an easy task.

What message would you like to pass on to others and particularly young people considering a career in conservation?

Get yourself fully involved in what you do. Be passionate, but also learn to find a compromise in what's best for all parties.

Related Link

SDK Kayaks

Jose Calo

My name is Jose Calo. I’m a Park Ranger and work in Iguazú National Park in Argentina. The park has 67,000 ha of Alto Paraná Atlantic Forest — a very endangered habitat.

Jose Calo

A park ranger’s job in a national park is to protect the park against poaching, tree cutting, and fishing. We also work with schools and the tourism industry. One of our responsibilities is to collect field data for investigation and research. I have been a Park Ranger since 1989; I have worked in different national parks, such as Lihue Calel, Perito Moreno and Rió Pilcomayo. This is my second stage in Iguazú, where I have been since 2003. My first was 1991–98.

What I love most about my job is patrolling the remote places of the park for several days and sleeping in hamacas (hammocks) in the forest. My best memories are the close encounters with fauna: one with a yaguareté (jaguar) at only three meters away (I was in my car!); others with pumas and with tapirs. National parks in Argentina are comprise less than two percent of the national territory and they are becoming islands of nature among industrial areas. I think the biggest challenge is what people do in the remaining ninety-eight percent of the national territory. National parks and other protected areas should be a part of a conservation strategy. Currently, we are far from this.

Pablo Bordino

2000 The Wild Ones
c/o Wildlife Trust
61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964-8000
Phone: 845 365 8337 Fax: 845 365 8177

Mr. Bordino is Director of AquaMarine, a conservation NGO in Argentina, and an Associated Researcher to the Marine Mammals Lab at the Argentinean Museum of Natural Sciences in Buenos Aires.

Claudio Campagna

Elephant seal expert
Centro Nacional Patagónico
National Research Council of Argentina
Centro Nacional Patagonico
Puerto Madryn, Chubut 9120
ARGENTINA
Profile: http://www.pewoceanscience.org/fellows/ccampagna/fellows-dir-profile.php?pfID=9931

Jason and Nicole Apple