Ruddy-headed goose  (Chloephaga rubidiceps)

In the 1960s the ruddy-headed goose was proclaimed a pest by the Argentinean Federal Government, as it was thought to feed heavily on wheat and corn crops in Buenos Aires, as well as competing with sheep and cattle stocks for grassland resources in southern Patagonia. As a result, the ruddy-headed goose was persecuted, and declines of the mainland population were significant (5). The introduction of the Patagonian fox (Pseudalopex griseus) in 1951 contributed to these declines, due to foxes preying on the nests of the goose, and the mainland population was pushed to the brink of extinction. Hunting for sport and possible poisoning by agricultural chemicals continue to place pressure on the remaining geese on the mainland (4).

Three projects were run by Wetlands International, with support from the Convention on Migratory Species, to conserve and manage the ruddy-headed goose in Chile and Argentina (6). As well as updating information on population numbers and distribution, and initiating an intensive public awareness campaign, the project has created an ‘Action Plan’ for the conservation of the species and has successfully created a reserve at the mouth of the San Juan River, Chile; an important nesting area of the ruddy-headed goose (9).