1% of Argentina
A small unit of park guards protects 52% of Argentina’s biodiversity on just 1% of it's land. This is what a typical night looks like.
The "Grupo de Operaciones en Selva" or G.O.S. is a team of park guards working for the Ministerio de Ecología y Recursos Naturales Renovables in Misiones Province. In addition to their typical work, these men and women have taken on extra responsibilities to combat anti-poaching and protect wildlife in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
Argentina is South America's second largest country and the eighth largest on the planet.
A majority of the country's biodiversity is concentrated in the relatively small Province of Misiones. Nestled between Paraguay and Brazil, Misiones is home to some of the world's last remaining Atlantic Forests.
During a patrol, a member of G.O.S. documents what he believes to be the tracks of a mother and a cub jaguar.
G.O.S. stopping cars at a strategic crossroads to find illegal hunters.
Two different coolers, from two different vehicles. In one, someone has fished over the allowable catch, and in the other a member of G.O.S. stands over an unknown mammal. Both illegal activities. These two photos represent a portion of what was confiscated in one night.
A member of G.O.S. writes a ticket for possession of bushmeat on the hood of their truck.
Most often, tickets are the only recourse G.O.S. has to bring against illegal activity. Only in the most serious cases can they arrest. On the same night depicted above, G.O.S. caught a young man exiting the forest with an illegal firearm.
A tapir walks into a camera trap in Urugua-í Provincial Park
Thomas testing a camera trap
This photo essay is edited from a much larger collection of photos taken over the course of 2023 in Misiones Argentina on the same theme. This project was endorsed by The Explorer's Club with the honor of carrying Flag #226. Financial support came from independent donors. Access and logistical support came from the Ministro de Ecología y Recursos Naturales Renovables, Proyecto Zorro Pitoco and Fundacion Vida Silvestre. Support in kind from the National Geographic Society.
If you'd like to see a wider edit of photos for your publication or you'd like to collaborate to tell a fuller story, email Thomas Rowell.
Thomas(at)brothermountain(dot)com
