Last Hope for Hooded Grebes and Santa Cruz River

The home of the Hooded Grebes, the remote lakes of the Patagonian wilderness, adjacent to the Santa Cruz River in Argentina, is now in danger because the government wants to build dams, a deal that was made between China and Argentina. The Nestor Kirchner-Jorge Cepernic dams represent 1,310 megawatts of hydroelectric capacity and produce an average of 5,171 gigawatt hours of energy, around 5 percent of the country’s total electricity demand. This project was suspended by the Supreme Court of Justice, back in 2015, for not complying with obligations under the Law of Environmental Impact of Hydraulic Works.

"The state created a few years ago a National Park to save the Hooded Grebe from extinction. Today that same state can sign the death certificate of the species." - Hernán Casañas, CEO of Aves Argentinas (BirdLife Partner).

These birds were listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2012.

"Fertile sediment, carried downstream from the river to the estuary, ensures food availability not only for this iconic species but also for other charismatic birds such as the Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus magellanicus, Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis, and Magellanic Plover Pluvianellus socialis; as well as many others like the endangered subspecies of Red Knot Calidris canutus rufa."

Source: Stop killing the river: New documentary on the plight of the Hooded Grebe

There is a documentary "Killing the River" to show the plight of the Hooded Grebes. You can view the trailer below:

The latest news is that the dams were approved for construction on Monday by Ministries of Environment and Sustainable Development and of Energy.

"What the government did is an administrative procedure with the objective of completing a legal requirement, but in no way implies direct authorization to continue the work. Justice will have to decide if it considers that there are enough elements to lift the precautionary measure issued by the Supreme Court." - Andrés Nápoli, Executive Director of the Foundation for Environment and Natural Resources (FARN).

"It should be recalled that after the publication of the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) and the public hearing held at the National Congress, deputies and senators presented their reports. Although the reports of the Energy and Environmental Commissions of both Houses gave a favorable opinion, there were numerous critical individual reports that highlighted the collective damages, the paradoxes and shortcomings of the official discourse, and the vices and nullities of the study of environmental impact. Among them are the hard reports of Juan Carlos "Cali" Villalonga (environmental deputy from Cambiemos), Graciela Camaño (Frente Renovador), Fernando "Pino" Solanas (Southern Project) and Graciela Cousinet (Free South). These reports echoed the criticisms voiced by NGOs and citizens during the public hearing. They were not taken into account by Ministers Aranguren and Bergman."

You can read the article here: THE GOVERNMENT APPROVED THE DAMS BUT THE SUPREME COURT HAS NOT YET BEEN ISSUED

If the dams do get built, that will result in blocked natural processes, which would have an impact on river flow and aquatic ecosystems in the area. Food availability downstream would be affected as well, resulting in the loss of wintering habitats for the animals. Especially worrying situation for the Hooded Grebe, whose numbers are around 500 breeding pairs and already under pressure from the spread of invasive species.


Beside the danger it poses to the environment, the river, wildlife, the glaciers, it is said that this construction would destroy numerous archaeological sites too: Five environmental criticisms of the Santa Cruz dams

"The Kirchner-Cepernic Complex will alter the course of the Santa Cruz River and turn over 50% of it into stagnant reservoirs. This will clearly affect the river’s volume while leaving 47,000 hectares of our Patagonia under the water. This project may generate irreversible loss of and severe damage to the rich biodiversity, flora and limnological communities, as well as cultural values. In particular, the Perito Moreno Glacier may be affected by the fact that the height of the Argentino Lake will no longer depend on natural level changes but on the country’s power demand." (New Hope for Patagonian River: Dams in Argentina Suspended)

As you can see, the Hooded Grebes are not the only ones in danger of these dams. Though, their situation is the most critical. Voice your opinion to President Mauricio Macri and urge him to rethink and stop the construction of the dams. There is still time left to save this beautiful river, the environment and the animals there. Use the hashtag #RioSantaCruzSinRepresas.
You can tweet to him the following message:

“President @mauriciomacri please stop the destruction of Santa Cruz River https://youtu.be/m-s9BUUYgFw #RioSantaCruzSinRepresas”

also in Spanish:

"Le pido a @mauriciomacri que NO destruya el Río Santa Cruz, #RioSantaCruzSinRepresas, https://youtu.be/m-s9BUUYgFw , http://www.riosantacruzlibre.org"

Of course, feel free to write your own original message.

You can send an email to: mauriciomacri@argentina.gob.ar. And leave a message on his official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mauriciomacri/

There is a petition on Care2: Save the Last Remaining Hooded Grebes. Please sign and share.

There is another petition and also an option to donate to BirdLife International, an organization whose mission is to protect birds and their habitat: A Quest for Safer Nests

For more information, updates and potential new actions, you can follow these organizations: