Proposal for the Important Bird Area Tres Cerros, Loma Alta and Río Miriñay, in Corrientes, Argentina

There are more than 10.000 Important Bird Area (IBA) worldwide (274 in Argentina), and new ones are permanently proposed. The recognition of grassland IBAs as ornithological important territories is the first action to encourage the management, conservation and protection of this highly endangered biome. We propose the Tres Cerros, Loma Alta and Miriñay River IBA in the grasslands of center Corrientes province (29 ° 05’S-57 ° 01’O). It comprises 88.000 ha of fields, forests, malezales and rocky outcrops. It is a strategic area for the connectivity between Ibera Wetlands and the Miriñay, Aguapey and Uruguay Rivers. According to internationally agreed criteria the site holds nine globally threatened species (A1); two typical species from the «Mesopotamian Grasslands of Argentina» (EBA 077; A2) and 13 endemic birds of the «Pampas» biome (A3): Xolmis dominicanus, Alectrurus risora and seedeaters (Sporophila spp.) inhabit and nest in grasslands, Gubernatrix cristata occupies wooded savannahs and Buteogallus coronatus frequents grasslands and exotic forest edges. An important proportion of the proposed IBA is a forested landscape together with a grassland conservancy policy. However, the increase of forestry and agricultural activities, the drainage of malezales or the implantation of pastures would affect the grassland threatened birds. The proposed IBA is in owned privately but two private natural reserves were established. We recommend as a conservation strategy for the grassland birds to promote the creation of more private reserves and the environmental territorial ordering and to design a biological corridor between Ibera Wetlands and Uruguay River.