The Ushuaia Statement

The Government of the Province of Tierra del Fuego, the Consejo Federal de Inversiones and the International Mire Conservation Group (IMCG) [1] organized the International Field Symposium “Mires and peatlands: Environment management, conservation and restoration” (21 November - 1 December 2005), as part of IMCG’s regular field assessments and symposia.

An IMCG delegation of 55 experts from 17 countries and 5 continents, accompanied and supported by representatives of the Fuegian Government and Argentinean scientists, travelled across a large part of Isla Grande (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina), studying the diversity and functionality of peatlands and the issues faced by them. As a result, the IMCG experts fully recognize the achievements of the Provincial Government of Tierra del Fuego in improving land use planning and developing the existing network of protected areas, including those of international importance. Furthermore, in seeking to encourage continued development of this policy, the IMCG wishes to inform the Provincial Government of the following:

· The IMCG is extremely impressed by the enormous variation in well-developed and pristine mires in Tierra del Fuego. The diversity of mire types encountered here is globally unequalled. The mires represent the most southerly concentration of peatland in the world, and, as a result of the extreme biogeographical and climatic conditions, possess species, species assemblages and peatland types found no-where else. The mires and peatlands of Tierra del Fuego, and the landscapes in which they are embedded, form a unique and irreplaceable part of the Earth’s natural heritage.

· Mires and peatlands have particularly important functions for regulating the local, regional and global climate, local and regional hydrology, and for sustaining biodiversity at all scales. These functions are recognized by international conventions to which Argentina is a Contracting Party, including the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar), the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

· The extensive pristine mires of Tierra del Fuego, and the impressive wild landscapes of which they are an integral part, represent an important economic resource. They provide a reliable water supply and enable a (hitherto largely untapped) sustainable source of income through ecotourism and associated activities. Furthermore the conservation of these peatlands will facilitate Argentina in meeting the goals set by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change both with respect to mitigation and adaptation.

· The IMCG greatly appreciates the work that has already gone into characterising and understanding the peatlands of Tierra del Fuego. Based on this information and what was seen during the field assessment, the IMCG emphasises that the Valle de Andorra Mires and the Rancho Hambre peatlands merit immediate action to ensure that their natural status and high potential for sustainable ecotourism are maintained and developed. Such protection measures should represent the first steps in a programme designed to create a network of sites that protects the full variety of mire types and landscapes. The extensive complex of pristine peatland and forest landscapes of the Peninsula Mitre clearly deserves a legal protection status on the provincial level and international recognition and integral protection under the Ramsar and World Heritage Conventions.

· It is clear, however, that extensive areas of peatlands have yet to be adequately assessed for their local, national and international importance. The lack of a strategic planning approach to peatland use and after-use within the Province of Tierra del Fuego is already causing difficulties for all parties involved and leads to a wasteful exploitation of valuable resources. If the current planning framework remains unchanged, such problems are certain to intensify in the future. The planning process should therefore be addressed now, while these difficulties can still be resolved. Indeed the current and potential pressures urgently require – in the manner of national peatland strategies established by various other countries - the development and implementation of a comprehensive Tierra del Fuego Peatland Strategy and Action Plan to support the conservation and wise use of peatlands in the Province.

· Such a framework for conservation and wise use of peatlands in Tierra del Fuego requires:

        1. Inventory of the biodiversity values and other functions of the peatlands of Tierra del Fuego;

        2. Protection of the natural values of the most important mires already identified and recognised;

        3. Prevention of damage to all pristine and near-pristine peatlands;

        4. Formulation of legislation to formalise such protection;

        5. Recognition of the international significance of these peatlands;

        6. Development, in a sustainable way, of the benefits which the peatlands bring to the region  (tourism, water quality, carbon storage, biodiversity, research, international collaboration, etc);

        7. Development of programmes for public awareness, education and ecotourism, targeting all levels of society;

        8. Development of expertise and the knowledge-base necessary to inform the planning process for the conservation and wise use of peatlands, and for monitoring their status and changes;

        9. Obligatory Environmental Impact Assessment using the IPS/IMCG Wise Use Guidelines for all development proposals on and related to peatlands, acknowledging that peat mining always impacts on the environment;

      10. Statutory requirement for a peatland after-use plan as an integral part of any development approval, considering the special characteristics of the peatland resource;

      11. Implementation of restoration measures for all peatlands that have been or are being degraded.

The International Mire Conservation Group congratulates the Provincial Government with the steps already taken and offers the experience and expertise available through its network to enable the Government to meet the objectives mentioned above. We offer this support in recognition of the international importance of the mires of Tierra del Fuego.

The 2005 IMCG symposium in Ushuaia will stimulate further international interest in research, education and conservation management of this globally important resource. The IMCG feels privileged to have had the opportunity to see such a renowned part of the world’s natural heritage, thanks the Provincial Government and the Consejo Federal de Inversiones for their much-valued support, and would like to join with the Provincial Government in ensuring that this unique resource is conserved for future generations.

Ushuaia

1^st December 2005

[1] The International Mire Conservation Group is the global network of specialists having particular responsibility for and interest in the conservation and wise use of mires and peatlands worldwide.