Dedicated Scientists involved in the Project: Heiko U. Wittmer, Paulo Corti, Mark Elbroch & Cristián Saucedo

The Patagonia puma project applies an ecosystem approach that considers the complex predator-prey interactions in the montane and forested habitats of Chilean Patagonia. The huemul is a flagship species of these montane and forested habitats. Because of the declining population trends and increasing fragmentation, the huemul has been designated as “critically endangered” by the World Conservation Union. The development of recovery strategies, however, has been greatly limited by the lack of reliable data explaining the observed population declines. To overcome this limitation, this project has initiated research on the dynamics of huemul in 2 different areas in Chilean Patagonia.

The overall goal is to understand the consequences of large-scale prey reductions and ultimately, the complete removal of an abundant prey species (domestic sheep) on the endangered prey species, the huemel (a deer), in a multi-prey and multi-predator system. The puma is one apex predator in this complex ecosystem. With regards to pumas, researchers are using ARGOS and GPS technology to study puma feeding ecology in the presence of endangered huemul.  Specifically scientists are attemtping to quantify the effects of alternative prey (whether they be domestic sheep or native guanacos) on a puma's preference for huemul. This study will also provide the first natural history information for pumas in central Patagonia, and is only the second study of tagged pumas in southern South America.

This ecosystem approach to conservation research will provide the necessary knowledge to restore ecosystem function, in addition to exploring the details of the complicated symbiotic relationships within the ecosystems between predators and their prey. This study is a revolutionary step being taken to preserve the entire ecosystem: the landscape, predators, and prey. As a result, the majestic and powerful puma will be preserved.