World Environment Day: in Argentina, there are no more complete ecosystems and 70% of the soil is in the process of desertification

If it is not possible to stop and reverse the current situation of ecosystems and the species that inhabit them, the consequences will also be irreversible for humans.. The point of degradation reached began with the arrival of settlers, who introduced species to native soils in order to breed them for consumption and use, such as cows (meat and hides) and horses (blood traction). , as well as pigs and goats. . They followed the industrialization of agriculture, the ruthless land clearing and uncontrolled use of fertilizers and pesticides, and the lack of policies to control land use, to name a few. .

The damage to ecosystems is alarming. “In Argentina, 70% of soils are in the process of desertification or degradation. Soil is a living ecosystem full of seeds, decomposing microorganisms, nutrients that pass from one invertebrate to another; this soil that people do not perceive as a living system is what allows other ecosystems to develop, meadows, forests, jungles to emerge … This damage is often irreversible “, take it back to Infobae Sofia Heinonen, president of the Fundación Rewilding Argentina on the environmental impact suffered by Argentinian ecosystems where many species have disappeared and is one of the most affected in all of South America.

Faced with this reality, all that remains is to intervene to try to reverse it. Stopping it at this stage is no longer enough. “I don’t know how we’re going to turn the tide if we don’t generate real policies that make it clear that humans depend on the restoration of ecosystems. We have already damaged everything in such a way that it is not enough to stop but to reverse and recover at least 30% of the ecosystems of this country, to say a number, because today we are at 8% and it would be optimistic to think of recovering half of the damaged area. We need to start realizing that we as a human species are going to fall behind the vortex of extinctions ”.

Restoring ecosystems and the decade to reverse environmental damage

Restoring an ecosystem is promote the recovery of ecosystems that have been degraded or destroyed and keep those that are still intact and it can be produced in several ways. For example, actively planting extinct species or removing those that affect nature so that they can recover on their own. Achieving this is not always possible, especially if this work is not accompanied by state environmental policies or legislation that protects soils or limits their use, among some possibilities.

In search of solutions and understanding that environmental times are pressing, NGOs are working. “Our approach to restoring ecosystems,” explains Heinonen, “is in the ecological roles that each species fulfills, especially if they are“ key species ”, which, when extinct, cause the ecosystem to malfunction” .

Key species are all plants and animals that play a fundamental role in the ecosystem and may have different effects on its environment or on other species with whom he lives. Their disappearance can generate modifications of the landscape, source of food, generators of shelter and can alter ecological processes.

In this sense, he continues, “We work with top predators because they generate health in ecosystems because they can feed on the sickest individuals and, by being selective and preying on the weakest prey, they reduce the possibility of pandemics in them. systems “.

These key species also compete for the territory with other predators, such as the jaguar with the puma for example, which by moving it allows other felines and other smaller species to coexist on the same territory. “If the predator is not at the top, the food pyramid flattens out and the number of niches and possibilities to generate space for other species is reduced. Therefore, for us, Restoring an ecosystem means making sure that all ecological roles are covered and trying to make it as complete as possible. We will preserve or reintroduce or recover populations of key species by ensuring that the ecosystem has the conditions to function healthily, ”explained the biologist from El Impenetrable where the reintroduction of the jaguar has already started, for example.

These actions are encouraged because, in the same way that nations participate in the Climate Change Summit, this year will be the time of the Convention on biodiversity, in October, and the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration which promises policies to repair environmental damage.

“Country representatives will meet at the Convention on Biodiversity, which is currently under discussion, and they are trying to set goals for the next decade, targets and the position that Argentina will have, one of the South American countries which has attacked its ecosystems the most and which has opted for extractivism; This is why, for me, it must set an example because it is the most degraded country in South America with Uruguay. We do not yet know what Argentina’s position will be and that is what is important to know “, assured the biologist.

On this point, one of the most important for the future, he also added: “The objective of the Convention on Biodiversity is to generate very clear objectives concerning the present, to establish, from today ‘hui, what we are going to do for the next 10 years. years. It is essential to take responsibility for this house, Argentinian soil, and to assume our role as citizens because it is we who also play an important role. It is the young people, the activists who have succeeded in putting environmental issues on national and international political agendas, governments must act ”.

Thinks that restoration and other natural solutions can provide a third of the mitigation needed by 2030, to keep global warming below 2 ° C and, at the same time, helping societies and economies adapt to climate change.

Also that restoring 15% of transformed land in the right places could prevent 60% of extinctions of species already projected.

“The best way to engage with ecosystems is to do national natural tourism because when it is connected to what is seen, it is easier to defend it. Seeing places without human intervention, observing animals in their natural habitat is an experience that must be lived because, in addition, it generates resources in the places and its inhabitants have another means of generating income That they may not have known it before because natural tourism is a source of work and a person, for example, can have an income without selling trees for wood and without lending that planting space for a walk in contact with nature. We all win, ”he concluded.

Biodiversity in the city of Buenos Aires

The city’s environment secretary registered on Friday June 4 the Ecological Reserve of Costanera Sur, the Ecological Reserve of Lake Lugano and the reservoirs of the Sarmiento Park, the conservation areas, and found 415 kinds of birds; Butterflies 59; 10 species of mammals and reptiles and 890 varieties of plants.

“This work is part of the actions we have proposed in our Climate Action Plan where we commit to be carbon neutral, resilient and inclusive by 2050. The importance of bio-corridors, biodiversity, green spaces is fundamental to achieve these objectives and improve the quality of life of all neighbors ”, he explained. Eduardo Macchiavelli, Secretary of the Environment of the City.

Between April 2020 and April 2021, the technical team for the conservation of biodiversity identified for the first time three properties to analyze the situation of the species and monitor the management plan for each area and arrive at an integrated concept of these spaces. . They performed 111 samplings where 5 taxonomic groups were studied which gave these surprising numbers.

Among the bird species, the brown swallow, the churrinche, the striped benteveo, the peregrine falcon and the northern harrier, among others, have been identified. Among the butterflies, the Argentine flag, the small mirror, the monarch, the spotted lady and the Mexican passion flower.

In addition, nutria, overa weasel, cook and capybara are the mammals that inhabit these reserves.

This work made it possible to update the inventories of vegetation, birds, reptiles, butterflies and mammals in the ecological reserve of Costanera Sur and in the ecological reserve of Lake Lugano.

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