I am 3 weeks in and finally feeling settled. Buenos Aires is a lovely city if you don’t mind the lack of trees, the dog poo all over the streets and the polluted air from the traffic. This is my first time in a very large city so it has definitely taken some adjusting.
As for my work, I’m interning at Fundacion Vida Silvestre Argentina (Wildlife Foundation of Argentina). It is the Argentine partner of the WWF. While my office if located in Buenos Aires, the project I’m working on is located in the Misiones Province near Iguazu Falls! The project is attempting to evaluate ecosystem services in the town of Andresito and then develop a payment scheme that will put money into a fund for ensuring sustainability of the natural resources. The users of the land and resources will be the ones who provide the money as a way for them to offset their negative environmental impacts. The money will be used as incentives for landowners to keep certain portions of their land intact, especially maintaining riparian buffers around the main stream of the town. Part of my job is to work with the community and the University of Misiones to develop a local community watershed committee.
This is important and exciting work, as nothing like this has been attempted in Argentina. If successful, it will set a precedent for how other sensitive areas can be preserved using market mechanisms.
Stay tuned for fun updates from the project!