Implementing a national conservation program: Andean Condor (Vulthur gryphus) in Argentina

For thousands of years, the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus), the world’s largest flying bird, has been honored by the native communities of South America, who consider it a sacred nexus between men and the Cosmos. Abundant in the past, this emblematic animal, a symbolic link with our cultural past, become a conservation challenge. For this reason, in August 1991, the Andean Cóndor Conservation Program was created, carried out within the framework of the Binational Program between Chile and Argentina, which has managed to reintroduce 164 specimens throughout South America. Its main objective is to assist the conservation of these birds and their ecosystem along the mountain range. The use of radiotelemetry and satellite transmission, combined with intense fieldwork, allowed the creation of a GIS specific for this species. Thanks to this technology, it is possible to know the use they make of the environment, their sleeping places, their flight capacity, habitat preference, among other characteristics. This information guides the decision making that make the conservation of these fabulous birds and the balance of its majestic ecosystem. Thanks to the participation of indigenous communities of the Ande, who knew how to honor and live in harmony with this species, for thousands of years, before each release, ancestral ceremonies are performed. They are responsible for putting a prayer in their original language, as a message of respect and harmonious coexistence with all forms of life, so that the Spirit of the Andes can return to its place once again.