BIODIVERSITY AND RESEARCH
Our programs take place in one of the most biodiverse environments in Argentina, but also one of the most threatened in the world. Knowing the species that inhabit it allows us to understand in depth its complexity and the intrinsic value of the protected natural area, in order to carry out recovery and conservation strategies based on the data and studies we make.
Therefore, monitoring with camera traps, the survey and listing of species found in the Reserve by biologists, researchers and observers, and the exchange through citizen science applications, are some of the actions we carry out.
Our projects
Camera Trap Monitoring
More than 8 years ago, since we started a more continuous work of forest restoration, we started using camera traps. An extremely useful monitoring tool in complex environments such as these to provide information that is impossible to see with the naked eye.
Camera traps allow us to obtain images without disturbing the wildlife, avoiding our proximity and managing to record animals with nocturnal habits or elusive behavior that otherwise we might not be able to see. In this way we can obtain data on the species that inhabit each environment, dates, times, temperature, exact location and, in many cases, identify individuals by specific physical traits, helping to understand behaviors or estimate populations.
New Species Registered
The Atlantic Forest continues to provide us with surprises in the Reserve. Even after almost 10 years of uninterrupted observation, monitoring and research, we continue to find species that have never been recorded before.
The more this environment is restored, the more connectivity we offer with the rest of the surrounding Atlantic forest, allowing the return or visit of many native species that make use of its resources.
Between 2020 and 2021, there were 4 outstanding records: the Violaceous Quail-Dove, the Capped Heron, the Buff-fronted Owl and the Grey-bellied Goshawk, reaffirming that every time we work for the conservation of an ecosystem, we are protecting even many species that we are unaware of.
Anurans Survey
At the beginning of 2020, a frog survey was carried out in the Reserve in order to deepen the diversity of this group of species in the Reserve.
Knowing the species, their behaviors and population status is the first step to help conserve these animals that fulfill very important functions in the ecosystems they inhabit.
As a result, some 30 species of frogs were recorded (50% of the species of Misiones and almost 20% of the species of the whole country).
In addition, 5 new species were discovered that had never been sighted before in the Reserve, including the Carrizo frog (Physalaemus carrizorum) described for science in 2018.
AICOM
In 2020, San Sebastián de la Selva has been recognized as an AICOM (Area of Importance for the Conservation of Bats) by the Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Conservation of Bats.
This designation is also an achievement for Misiones and the country, as it generates new opportunities to work towards the protection of bats and their habitats.
Among the reasons that justify this recognition we can mention that our reserve is home to 11 species of bats out of the 67 present in Argentina, with different feeding habits (frugivorous, insectivorous, carnivorous and piscivorous), and including some with different degrees of threat (Vulnerable and Near Threatened).
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Citizen Science
We believe that research is a fundamental ally for the conservation of environments and their biodiversity.
That is why in our Reserve we use citizen science platforms (eBird and ArgentiNat ) as a tool, not only to register observations, but also to share information, allowing others to learn about the species of our native forest and helping researchers to generate data and more knowledge about their behavior.
This data collection has allowed, for example, to understand much of what happens in our reserve, and to know that San Sebastián de la Selva is one of the places with more bird species registered in Argentina.
Strategic Alliances
Sebastián de la Selva participated in the Fauna Monitoring Project with Camera Traps in the Urugua-í Foester Biological Corridor. An initiative born from the joint work of Fundación Vida Silvestre with the Biodiversity Observatory of the Atlantic Forest, the Institute of Subtropical Biology (IBS), CONICET - National University of Misiones and the Civil Association Atlantic Forest Research Center.
The research and monitoring work consisted of placing camera traps in key places of the Biological Corridor, of which we are part, in order to know the species that move in the area and understand more about their populations, distribution, behaviors and habits. In our Reserve, 9 camera traps were placed, which yielded excellent results.
