Fundación Macá Tobiano

About Us

Who are we?

The Hooded Grebe Foundation(Hooded Grebe Foundation) was created to respond to a growing need: to enhance and expand conservation efforts based on science, through the restoration and management of ecosystems throughout Patagonia and other regions of Argentina. Our purpose is to contribute to a protected and restored Patagonia —from the Andes to the sea—. The Macá Tobiano, an emblematic and critically endangered bird, is our flagship species that inspires awareness and action throughout the region. Our main objective is for conservation needs to direct our efforts, seeking efficient, evaluated, and sustainable solutions over time.

Mission

At the Hooded Grebe Foundation, we seek to develop and implement management and conservation strategies to restore ecosystems and stop the extinction of endangered species, as well as take action to preserve the health of the environment. We consider human beings and their activities as part of the environment. Our work on a local scale has an impact at a national and international level.

Vision

Through restoration and management applied with a strong component of scientific research, we promote the generation of knowledge to understand the biological processes of the environment, we develop and apply strategies to conserve them. We contribute to the management and creation of protected areas, environmental awareness, and sustainability. In addition, we generate inter-institutional work networks and train people to promote our impact on a regional and global scale. We are guided by the commitment to manage the funds allocated to conservation with responsibility, efficiency, and the greatest possible impact.

© Darío Podestá

What do we do?

We work for the conservation of threatened, little-known, and endemic species of Argentina, with an emphasis on Patagonia.
We study, restore, and protect key environments for conservation.
We control invasive species that threaten native biodiversity.
We provide necessary information for decision-making in conservation matters.
We promote the implementation and good practices regarding tools in responsible production.
We get involved with the community through our work, activities, and events.

Objectives

Prevent the extinction of endangered species.
Generate scientific information on fauna and ecosystems, primarily in Patagonia, promoting research applied to direct management actions that are necessary for the protection of species and their environments.
Apply direct management measures for the conservation of species.
Propose strategies and tools to resolve conflicts that arise between native fauna, productive-economic actors, and conservation agents.
Promote the transfer of knowledge to other relevant actors.
Disseminate and connect communities with their environment and with aspects of conservation.

© Gonzalo Pardo

Where do we work?

  1. Laguna Brava Provincial Reserve
  2. San Guillermo National Park
  3. Aconcagua Provincial Park
  4. Domuyo Protected Natural Area
  5. Filo Hua Hum (Lanín National Park / Nahuel Huapi National Park)
  6. Limay River
  7. Nahuel Huapi National Park
  8. Somuncurá Protected Natural Area
  9. Lago Puelo National Park
  10. Los Alerces National Park
  11. Pico-Corcovado River and Senguer River
  12. La Cautiva Ranch
  13. Sarmiento
  14. Meseta de las Lagunas Sin Fondo (Plateau of Bottomless Lagoons)
  15. Gobernador Moyano Plateau
  16. Lake Buenos Aires Plateau / Patagonia National Park
  17. Pinturas River Canyon / Cueva de las Manos Provincial Reserve
  18. “Juan Mazar Barnett” Biological Station
  19. Meseta del Asador (Asador Plateau)
  20. Lago Strobel Plateau
  21. Perito Moreno National Park
  22. La Angostura Ranch
  23. Alta Vista Ranch
  24. El Islote Refuge (Cerro Bayo Ranch)
  25. La Siberia Plateau
  26. Mata Amarilla Plateau
  27. Santa Cruz River Estuary
  28. Coyle Estuary
  29. Río Gallegos Estuary
  30. Cabo Vírgenes (Cape Virgins)
  31. De Las Vueltas River Valley / Los Glaciares National Park / Lago del Desierto Provincial Reserve
  32. North of Tierra del Fuego

A bit of history

In 2009, due to the crisis facing the Hooded Grebe, a critically endangered species endemic to Southern Patagonia, we created the Hooded Grebe Project. After years of extensive work and research, we understood that to prevent the extinction of this species, we had to work on a regional scale. This way, we can address the different threats, among which invasive species, changes and habitat loss stand out, in addition to the possibility of including social aspects in these problems. In response to this need, in 2013 we created the Patagonia Program to generate conservation and research actions in this region. Since then, the Program has grown steadily and today we work on different projects and species throughout Neuquén to Tierra del Fuego. In 2024, we began working outside of Patagonia, in the High Andes of Cuyo and the Argentine Northwest. This was the final sign that we had to take the necessary step of creating the Hooded Grebe Foundation, with the motto “science and conservation,” to restore environments and populations of threatened species, as well as extend our capabilities beyond the institutional environment in which we were framed.

© Darío Podestá

  • Legal address: Calle 64 N620 5to A, La Plata (1900), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • Operational headquarters (for correspondence): Calle Meli Nº11692, Bariloche (8400), Río Negro, Argentina. Tel: +5492901531570 · Email: fundacion@macatobiano.org