Flavia Zagury

Flávia, biologist and ecologist. Passionate about ecology and conservation of endangered birds. During her academic journey, she worked with an endangered and reintroduced species in the city of Rio de Janeiro, the Ariel Toucan, monitoring its nests and the reestablishment of this bird's population. Currently finishing his master's degree with bird and plant interaction and working with the management of protected areas in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Her life mission is to help protect Brazil's biodiversity.

Flávia is also fascinated by photography and believes that showing conservation through images is a very efficient way of involving the population and reconnecting people with nature. What drives Flávia to follow the path of conservation is a feeling of passion and desire to dedicate her entire life to protecting a nature and helping to create a world in which all species are respected and matter.

LOCATION:	Punta Arenas	AREA OF STUDY:	Coastal Wetlands
NATIONALITY:	Brazil	SPONSOR:
FILMMAKER:	Josh Clarke

START DATE:	23rd January
END DATE:	6th February
LOCATION:	Punta Arenas
END POINT:	Brazil

AREA OF STUDY:	Coastal Wetlands
SPONSOR:
FILMMAKER:	Josh Clarke

Area of Study: Wetlands

The Bahia Lomas Nature Sanctuary is a coastal wetland located in the eastern area of the Strait of Magallen and the north coast of Tierra del Fuego, Chile. This site is known for being one of the most important areas for birds that migrate during the Arctic winter, being declared a Ramsar site (part of the wetlands convention) and a member of the Hemispheric Network of shore birds.

The characteristic that makes this area so important for shore birds is the large variation in tides (up to 7 km), making this environment highly productive and with a great diversity and biomass of macroinvertebrates, the main food for these birds. For some species of shore birds threatened with extinction, such as Canutus calidris rufa (Red Knot) and Limosa haemastica (Hudsonian Godwit) Bahia Lomas is the most important area for wintering.

Despite its great importance, Bahia Lomas has been suffering from constant threats. For many years the presence of oil platforms and the risk of spills were the biggest threats. However, at that exact moment a new and major threat emerged: construction projects for large wind farms close to Bahia Lomas and possibly passing through the birds’ migration route.

In this sense, the Bahia Lomas Centre, responsible for managing the area, is looking for solutions to prevent the establishment of wind farms and protect the Ramsar site and shore birds.