Volume 8 Pages 1 - 47 (February 1993)

Citation: Parera, A. (1993) South American Meeting of Specialists in Aquatic Mammals. IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull. 8: 42 - 43

Previous | Contents | Next

South American Meeting of Specialists in Aquatic Mammals

Anibal Parera

Proyecto Ariraí, Virrey Cevallos 215 4°C, 1077 Buenos Aires, Argentina

Since 1982, every two years, the South American Meeting of Specialists in Aquatic Mammals has been taking place in different Latin-American countries (to date Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile).

Different activities (conferences, talks, posters, workshops and courses) about Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, Manatees and aquatic Mustelids are developed.

The 5th meeting took place in Buenos Aires and It was organized by Australis Foundation and sponsored by the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, from the 28 September to the 2 October 1992. As far as the organizing aspects of the event is concerned, we should say that it was faultless.

Out of 156 papers presented, only six of them were about otters (Lutra longicaudis, Pteronura brasiliensis, Lutra provocax and L. felina). This shows the lack of working groups studying otters in Latin-America. It is important to bear in mind that this is the unique international meeting in Latin-America where works about otters are continually presented.

Among new projects involving otters, I'd like to stress Omacha Foundation Project, coordinated by Sandra Beltrán, whose aim is to begin a long term study of Pteronura in the Colombian Amazonia.

Though traditionally the meetings included round table discussions about otter issues, in this opportunity it was not held. We hope that this point and the lack of works presented in the 5th meeting, take a different turn for the 6th, which will take place in Florianopolis (Brazil) in 1994.

List of Abstracts dealing with Otters

Bardier, G. Habitat y signos de actividad del "lobito de río" Lutra longicaudis.
Capella, J., Yerko, V. & Cerda, E. Distribución espacial, abundancia y reproducción de la nutria. Marina en el norte de Chile.
Parera, A. Análisis de la dieta de Lutra longicaudis en Laguna Iberá, provinvia da Corrientes, Arg.
Parera, A. Disminución potencial del hábitat de Lutra longicaudis en el área de influencia de la Represa Yacyretá, Argentina y Paraguay.
Rosas, F. & Kesa, K, Conteudo mineral do pelo da Ariranha (Pteronura brasiliensis).
Schiavini, A. Nutrias, Lutra sp. en Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

Previous | Contents | Next