>>FELICITY ARENGO: I’m Felicity Arengo, and I work at the American Museum of Natural History's Center for Biodiversity
and Conservation, or CBC for short.
We work with partners around the world to transform knowledge into conservation action.
I study flamingos, and I've been working in South America for the past 18 years
with the Grupo de Conservacion Flamencos Altoandinos.
Every five years, we organize an International Flamingo Census, a regional effort spanning
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru,
which aims to cover the entire range of the Andean and Puna flamingos.
These censuses are needed so we can monitor the size and status of these populations.
There are six flamingo species in the world, three of which are found in southern South America
Flamingos are aquatic, they live in wetlands.
The Chilean Flamingo lives throughout the region, with populations estimated at over 300,000.
The Puna and Andean flamingos are more restricted, found mainly in wetlands up in the Andes mountains,
and in some lowland wetlands in Argentina.
Population numbers for these two species are concerning.
For example, the Andean flamingo population is estimated at fewer than 60,000, making
it the rarest flamingo species on the planet, and the only one considered threatened.
This past January, we did the 5th International Flamingo Census, and I was on one of the teams
in Argentina that headed up into the high altitude desert in Catamarca Province.
The census is a big effort, involving over 70 volunteers organized in teams,
covering the entire area over a two-week period.
We do the census in summer, because these species are in the Andean wetlands,
mostly in the summer.
The habitats are very saline.
Some of the water can be caustic.
So they are usually inhabited by creatures that are adapted to hyper-saline
or very extreme environments,
and also can find food in these wetlands.
They all look like flamingos.
They’re all pink and they have long legs and long necks and a curved beak.
But they have these subtle differences, which,
we have to train our volunteers to tell the species apart
because we’re very interested in what the population sizes are for the three species.
So, one way to tell them apart is the color of the legs.
The Andean Flamingo has yellow legs,
the Chilean Flamingo has grey legs with pink joints,
and then the Puna Flamingo has red legs.
The coloration of the plumage is slightly different,
the amount of black that shows on the wing when the wing is folded is different,
and then the shape and the amount of black on the beak is different.
So, we learn how to look at these different things that appear to be somewhat subtle,
but then we learn them and we can tell the species apart.
These wetlands are rich in minerals and salts,
so mining is a major industry associated with these habitats.
For example, prospecting and mining for lithium is increasing,
driven by the proliferation of rechargeable batteries.
Mining impacts habitats directly by modifying them physically and chemically,
by changing and diverting water flows,
and by contaminating the water supply.
While we were there at this community,
which is the one that’s closest to the wetlands where the flamingos are nesting,
we had an activity at the school for international Wetlands Day Festival.
We also held a workshop for local stakeholders such as business owners,
government officials, people from the ministry of mining,
and the natural resources agencies,
anyone in the town that was interested in participating was welcome.
The future of these sites depends on the kids and the upcoming generations.
It depends on everyone really, on everyone including the teachers
and the parents and the people that are using the resources,
or the people who are living in the towns.
Doing this kind of outreach helps the community become engaged in what resources they have
right outside their doors and their backyards.
Then it’s up to them to be the stewards of these places
and of these animals and to protect them
and take care of them and conserve them.
The preliminary results of this flamingo census are promising.
Our totals of Andean and Puna flamingos show an increase of roughly 50 percent
for both species since the last census.
This was also a good breeding year,
with record numbers of Chilean Flamingo and Andean Flamingo chicks reported from two separate colonies.
Certainly encouraging signs from a few weeks of field work.