Valentin visits South America

After finishing his PhD on beaver influencing biodiversity, I, Valentin, had the chance to visit two projectfelis partners in South America: Mauro Lucherini in Argentina and Ana Luzia de Souza Teixeira Cunha in Brazil. For me, it was great to put faces and work that was mostly on the computer into the real word, see the commitment of these two very different characters and it was a great reminder why we do this work with projectfelis. It was evident how the local experts can make a difference the species, the landscape, and the local community.

In Brazil, I visited Ana together with my girlfriend Taalke. Ana’s passion for Emas National Park and the Cerrado was immediately obvious. She knows the area incredibly well, and with her help we were able to see some of the special species of this landscape. It was great to see how much pride she takes in the children’s books – they are all over the Pousada, the little guest house she runs near the National Park. We talked about her third book and future plans, I hope everything can be realized!

The Maned Wolf, the main character of Ana’s book, was one of the highlights of the visit. The first observation was BBC-level-like: Lush green Cerrado (after the rainy season), brown termite mounds, and a rainbow in the background! I had hoped to also see a Pampas Cat, another important species for the project, but maybe next time.

In Argentina, I met Mauro and learned more about his work on small cats and other carnivores. We talked a lot about conservation, science, cat ecology, and the landscapes of Argentina. I was impressed by his deep knowledge of cats and his long experience working with carnivores in South America.

I also managed to spotlight a Geoffroy’s Cat near Mauro’s home! This was of course a special moment too! Not only because it is a beautiful species, but also because it is one of Mauro’s study species.

Mauro and Ana work in very different landscapes and settings, but both are perfect represents of project partners for projectfelis: Their passion, knowledge and connection to local people forms the basis for their conservation work. Projectfelis only contributes little, but supporting people like Mauro and Ana feels exactly like the kind of work we should be doing.