Tompkins Conservation

ONE YEAR SINCE THE GIANT OTTERS’ RETURN🦦

Last week, we, along with our offspring Fundación Rewilding Argentina, celebrated one year since the giant river otter returned to the wild in Argentina.

The first release of giant otters into Iberá National Park marked the beginning of a new chapter in the species’ reintroduction, bringing back the top aquatic predator, a species that had disappeared from Argentina more than four decades ago.

Behind that milestone were years of collaborative work involving technical teams, researchers, international specialists, and partner institutions.

The work continues. The family is steadily adapting to life in the wild, while the teams in the field continue to restore functional giant otter populations, work that will allow this species to once again fulfill its ecological role.

Video: Rewilding Argentina

Protecting the pudú deer in Pumalín 🌿🦌

The pudú is the smallest deer in Chile and one of the smallest deer species in the world. It inhabits the dense Valdivian rainforests of Pumalín Douglas Tompkins National Park, where it plays an important ecological role as a seed disperser and a key species of these unique ecosystems.

Pumalín is the main stage of Fundación Rewilding Chile's Pudú conservation and monitoring program, which they carry out together with the Chilean Forestry Service and the University of Chile. It’s been almost two years of collaborative work to better understand the species, its distribution, and threats.

Today, pudú populations are considered vulnerable due to multiple threats, including habitat loss and fragmentation, vehicle collisions, and predation by free-ranging or unsupervised dogs. This is why generating long-term scientific information is essential for developing effective conservation strategies 💚

Video: Rewilding Chile

THE COMMUNITY AND THE JAGUAR: PART 2

Along the Bermejo River, fishermen and local residents travel the area daily. They know the wildlife that inhabits these environments better than anyone, and they are likely to be the first to once again spot the jaguar again in areas where the species had largely disappeared.

That’s why our offspring Fundación Rewilding Argentina is collaborating with staff from El Impenetrable National Park, local communities, and various stakeholders in the region. They’re sharing tools that help identify tracks and help document the presence of jaguars, strengthening the community’s connection with this spectacular wild cat. Local communities are essential for the long-term protection of biodiversity and wild spaces!

Video: Lucinda Di Martino,

Happy Birthday to TC’s incredible president and co-founder: Kris Tompkins!🌎🎉

We are grateful for your humor, drive and wisdom, and for leading Tompkins Conservation, Fundación Rewilding Argentina and Fundación Rewilding Chile towards a reality that is more beautiful, equitable and wild for all. Every day you encourage us to strive beyond what we think is possible, a legacy that is rippling forward to continental and global change.

Video: Beth Wald