2023-06-13 22:10:08
The controversy that arose around the dam under construction on the course of the Nahueve River, in Neuquén, did not end with the worrying images of a school of trout colliding with a cement wall trying to reach the natural lagoons to spawn. Now, in addition, they ensure that the population of Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) and a species of duck in danger of extinction were substantially affected by the location of the energy development carried out by ADI-NQN.
Jorge Gómez is a Provincial Park Ranger and has been working in the area for several years, with a job seat in the Tromen Provincial Park. It is one of the many qualified voices to describe what is happening in the region, regarding the flora and fauna, of one of the richest regions in biodiversity in the province.
Gomez spoke with RÍO NEGRO and described the situation as “very worrying” and recalled that many species of animals directly and indirectly depend on the Nahueve River and its geographical environment. One of the most recognized is the andean condor, which due to its characteristics and behaviors is very difficult to contemplate. In addition to carrying the mystique of an entire continent, It is an animal that chooses few places to perch and nest. One of them are the cliffs that border the Nahueve River.
«One of the prides of the place was always the population of condors that could be seen in the perches, where they not only rest after eating but also nest, this has been significantly affected since the work on the dam began,” he explained, detailing that “In only one year, from seeing between 30 and 35 specimens, now only no more than 5 are seen.”
Detonations, the traffic of trucks and vans, the noise of workers and machinery, are some of the factors that according to the park ranger “affect behavior” condors, who need quiet spaces to breed. The natural walls historically chosen by these birds are “less than a thousand meters from the dam”, he recounted and for this reason “there is a direct and evident relationship between the work and the sighting of condors.”
They assure that the Nahueve dam affected the population of the Andean condor: the torrent duck, another collateral damage
The situation seems not to be limited to just one species of birds. It is that according to Jorge Gómez explained, the «foot of the stream» (Merganetta armata) It is another of the animals that is compromised by the environmental alteration on the Nahueve: “It’s another collateral damage from the dam.”
In fact, this particular bird needs the river to reproduce, something that has been worked on for years since it is currently in danger of extinction.
“The number of ducks worries us to a great extent, it is part of our job to monitor them and we noticed that their behavior on the Nahueve was significantly altered with the dam,” Gómez explained.
Specifically, a population of approximately 30 ducks, they are no longer seen in the area and the last recorded sightings occurred at no less than 20 kilometers from the point where they usually lived.
«The torrent duck needs the river, its entire cycle is adapted to this geography and hydrographyit is necessary to take care of the environment for the breeding of its chicks, it is a very particular species”, the park ranger of the Tromen Provincial Park stated with concern.
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