TABLE OF CONTENTS introduction Ranch Activities grazing sheep cattle garden
2 12 18 44 48
Conservation species of interest
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ESTANCIA FORTIN CHACABUCO A working landscape and ranch driven towards education and becoming a testing bed for ideas and research aimed towards conservation, Estancia Fortin Chacabuco is managed by the Nature Conservancy and sits within a National Park. The property is protected by a set of rules from the previous owner that prevents tourism, commercial hunting, and encourages the protection of native species and the holistic management of a herd of sheep and cattle. It is a demonstration ranch
that is conserving and protecting the property through sustainable management practices. The beauty of this ranch highlights the diversity of Argentina’s landscape types. The mountains have such character and texture and the grassland ecology supports a vastly different range of species that is specific to this region of the world. The estancia hosts volunteers year round who help with maintenance tasks around the property - a great way to experience Patagonia and its working landscape.
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patagonian ecology
the estancia sits between the flat steppe landscape and the andean mountain forest. this transitional ecotone is home to a rich, biodiverse environment that supports a wealth of species and landscape types.
steppe
ecotone
andean forest
the estancia is mostly steppe ecology (~80%) with a few wetland areas (~3%). the grassland ecology supports a wide range of species that live together with the grazing activities
vegetation
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grasslands
the fields of Estancia Fortin Chacabuco in the Patagonian steppe | mount Fortin and the Andes mountains
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grazing In the arid regions of Patagonia, the dominant land use is farms with livestock grazing. This privately owned land is a working landscape with a strong identity that is threatened by the mismanagement of its resources. The Nature Conservancy is working with interested land owners to implement sustainable grazing practices, part of their Patagonia Grasslands Conservation Project, because the biodiversity and ecology of this landscape is dependent on the land managers. This type of conservation action planning involves a close relationship between ranchers and TNC to give specific guidance on how to manage the land and water for the health of the fragile ecosystems
that occur there. TNC is supporting sustainable grazing through their GRASS program (Grasslands Regeneration and Sustainability Standard) that brings a systems approach to traditional grazing practices. The health of the grasslands depends on this type of collaboration to continue to support the plants, animals, and resources for perpetuity. It is crucial for soil conservation, erosion control, nutrient cycling, and clean water - things that humans, plants, and animals all benefit from. Estancia Fortin Chacabuco is part of the GRASS program and utilizes rotational grazing practices to improve the health of the grasslands for the improvement of the larger regional landscape.
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grazing rotation
October - November
Repunte Alto [1 month]
The sheep and cattle were moved to this paddock while I was at the ranch. During the move, the cows started to give birth so some stayed behind with their calves and were transferred later. The cows are a little thin so this paddock has grass for them to get stronger before becoming pregnant again.
November - December Pelado [1 month]
This paddock is pretty big but the fences are not in a good state but it holds enough grass to support a month of grazing. Two arms of Newberry Creek run through this paddock and it is a priority to protect the creek beds.
December - January Guanaco [2 weeks]
This is a large paddock that consists of mostly mountains with not as much water. It runs dry in the summer but has pretty good grass.
January - February Frizon [2 months]
This paddock has the greatest amount of food that the sheep and cattle like, which is a result of the wetland. Species of sedges and coirón dulce are some of the grazer’s favorites.
March
Costa [2 weeks]
Although large, this paddock has poor grass due to its location in the valley with high winds. The cattle and sheep are put here to trample the bushes, which helps them incorporate back to the soil. Their feces also improve soil health through fertilization.
March
Limay [1 week]
Another paddock with poor grass that can only support the grazing for a short time. Historic overgrazing caused desertification and the conditions have not improved.
March
Chacra Limay [1 week]
This paddock is in poor condition as well. The grass is sparse and mostly coirón amargo, not one of the grazer’s favorites.
April
Rincon Chico [2 weeks]
This paddock holds a lot of food for grazing but it is smaller. The bend in the river supplies water to wetlands that support the grazer’s favorite species.
April
Side [2 weeks]
This was the favorite paddock for the last 2 years because of its proximity and health so it was left to rest for a complete spring and summer this year. This ends a 6 month rotation and at this time the ranch will create a new schedule based on site observations and analysis for the next half of the year.
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sheep
marino sheep are used on the ranch, which have great success in Patagonia thanks to their robustness and good wool. there are plans to transition to merino multipurpose sheep that apart from wool have good meat production.
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sheepdog
the sheepdog protects the sheep from predators and lives with them in the paddocks
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shearing
the sheep are sheared once a year to sell the wool and regenerate their coats
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shearing
they stay fairly calm when being cut - the difficult task is getting them there and maneuvering around their bodies
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WOOL
the price of Argentine wool is dictated by the Australian market. here is a breakdown of this year’s shearing activities: 159 sheep sheared 28 pesos ($1.86) per sheep 84 pesos ($5.57) per ram (male)
grasslands
the wool is compacted - first by feet, then
sorting
the wool is sorted after being cut from the sheep
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compaction
after the wool is sorted, it is compacted
bagging
the shearing this year resulted in 4 bags - a total of 744 kilograms (1,640 lbs)
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before
after
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funneling the sheep
after shearing, the sheep are given medication and branded to ensure a healthy herd
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post-shearing
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post-shearing grazing
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ungrazed paddock
grazed paddock
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horses
the estancia has 4 horses that the gauchos use to move the sheep and cattle around
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gaucho
Freddy, one of the two gauchos, with a horse that he competes in gaucho competitions with
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cattle
a breeding cattle ranch - the calves are sold to larger properties where they beef up before slaughter
a gaucho moves cattle from one paddock to another. these cows just gave birth and need to eat more
cattle grazing in a paddock
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garden
the garden is used by the family, gauchos, and volunteers who live at the ranch
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sowing seeds in a bed after weeding and mixing in compost
chicken coop
rabbits
bounty
compost bins greenhouse
lagoon
herb spiral
garden activities
weeding fixing irrigation pipes putting plastic over beds to prevent weeds planting seeds harvesting lettuce opening / closing chicken coops collecting eggs
The garden utilizes permaculture practices to create a productive yield of produce for the family, gauchos, and volunteers that live on the property. It is an organic garden that the yearround volunteers tend to work in during their stay. This piece of land dos not produce enough food to sell for an income but the ranch is considering larger scale agriculture that they would hire somebody to manage on a larger piece of land.
[beds I worked in while volunteering]
produce grown corn pumpkin zucchini cucumber radish eggplant cauliflower
sweet peppers celery tomato broccoli carrot rhubarb lettuce
kale arugula swiss chard acegla alfalfa sprouts green onion leeks
beans sugar snap peas mint annis rosemary oregano parsley
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the greenhouse
lettuce and broccoli in the greenhouse, which extends the growing season at the ranch. tomatoes, eggplant, sugar snap peas, spinach, cilantro, and rhubarb are all grown here and are eaten by the family.
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poultry
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chickens supply eggs
one of the three elusive turkeys
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species of interest
beehives
a collection of beehives right outside a paddock supports healthy permaculture practices
native flora: cypress, coirón, neneo, wetlands
coirón blanco / dulce this is the grazer’s favorite grass. it is sweeter and found more in the wetland areas of the ranch. a dense paddock of this grass is an ideal healthy ecosystem that can support grazing. if you can see a lot of soil, the paddock should not be grazed for a long period.
coirón amargo this grass is not a favorite but found in more paddocks of the ranch so the grazers are forced to eat it when there is no other choice.
neneo shrub this shrub is found within the grasses of the paddocks, but the grazers do not eat it.
cypress tree the ranch puts a priority on protecting clusters of native trees but they are few and far between.
native species
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black-faced ibis
upland goose
native fauna: ibis, chinchillon, huillin, tuco tuco
variable hawk
tero tero
native species
invasive flora: pine, rose hip, willow, thistle
the ranch is going to test out ways to get rid of the invasive pines, then use the research to help other ranches achieve a more native ecology
invasive fauna: deer, boar, mink, rabbits
deer are an invasive population that the ranch is trying to control. it was the only form of meat I ate on the ranch (from a deer they killed the week before)
invasive species
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chacabuco creek flowing within a paddock | view from mount fortin
the estancia prioritizes the protection of creek beds
areas of conservation
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wetlands
clusters of native trees
areas of conservation
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the volunteer’s cabin
special thanks to Gwen and Nico at Estancia Fortin Chacabuco I was amazed by your hospitality and the beauty of your ranchfrom working in the garden to hiking through the mountains - you are truly connected to the land and understand the importance of conservation, education, and collaboration in this expansive region that is in need of more people like you. I could not have asked for a better introduction to the landscape of Patagonia.
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This book was created as the field study component of my offcampus semester at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry where I am in the fifth and final year of the Bachelors of Landscape Architecture program. For the last two weeks of October 2016, I volunteered at Estancia Fortin Chacabuco and compiled pictures and research into this publication. I have always been interested in large-scale landscape systems so this was an amazing opportunity to see how The Nature Conservancy and the estancia are working together to conserve such a beautiful region. nick shannon | nmshanno@syr.edu