Abstract

"The huemul is the most threatened cervid of the Neotropical Region. It is estimated that its historic distribution range in Chile has shrunk in over 50%, while its global population size would not exceed 2500 individuals. Taking into consideration this critical situation, the Workshop ?Towards an Action Plan for the Conservation of Huemul in the Austral Zone? was held between November 11th and 12th 2010 in Punta Arenas, Chile, in a joint initiative of the Wildlife Conservation Society, the National forestry Corporation and the CEQUA foundation. This Workshop is in line with the implementation process of the National Plan for the Conservation of Huemul in Chile. The objective of this workshop was to initiate the drawing up of an Action Plan that takes into account that special features of the Austral Zone for the conservation of the species. The Workshop started with oral presentations aiming to update the participants on the current state of the huemul in the target area. Subsequently, a participative approach was used to determine the direct and indirect threats to the species, as well as to prioritize the former. The fve direct threats identifed were, in order of importance: 1) competition with livestock, 2) habitat loss and fragmentation, 3) diseases, 4) predation and harassment by dogs, and 5) poaching. In a second stage, the participants were divided into four groups: policy and legislation, management and conservation, research and monitoring, and education and communications. Each group made a list of potential interventions related to the identifed threats that were considered to be within the scope of the group. The production of a prioritized list of direct threats and of potential interventions is a significant step forward towards the drawing up of the Action Plan for the Austral Zone. While the proposed interventions vary according to the scope of each group, some recurrently mentioned measures were: the creation of a geographic information system on the current distribution of huemul allowing to contrast it with the spatial distribution of the threats; the coordination among agencies for the management of threats both in and outside protected areas; and the raising of awareness on the situation of huemul among stakeholders of the areas related to identifed threats. During the Workshop, the need to establish measurable objectives and eventually a goal specific to the Austral Zone was apparent. In addition, the discussion about the funding mechanisms for interventions and the drawing up of a monitoring and assessment program remain to be resolved, as does the definition of the agencies/people in charge of implementing the interventions."