In 2008, we have completed a year flled with fascinatng new achievements, which I will not get into at this point, as they will be described in depth on the following pages.
Instead, I feel it is important to put the year’s achievements in context, by positoning them within the framework of results that our Associaton has accumulated over the last decade. I believe that the best way of doing this is by frst highlightng a value that is partcularly characteristc of individuals within Guyra Paraguay. More even than technical and scientfc expertse, this quality contnues to be a determining factor in making Guyra Paraguay such a successful organizaton: our passion.
In fact, when speaking of Guyra Paraguay, it is impossible to avoid mentoning the passion: the passion its people share for life in all its forms, the passion for Paraguay, for nature, for birds, for science and, above all, for doing the right thing.
And what is done with passion rarely turns out badly. And the proof of this is the concrete results achieved by our Associaton over the last ten years or so of work for the conservaton of Paraguay’s most valuable ecosystems.
More than 24,000 hectares of land has been purchased and declared for conservaton in perpetuity; more than 150 communites have been supported and their leaders equipped to promote conservaton; 300 young professionals have received specialist training in conservaton; 950,000 kilometres have been covered throughout the country, 700 sites surveyed and more than 125,000 new records created on 1,540 vertebrate species in Paraguay; last but not least, cutng-edge technology has been implemented to monitor land use change throughout the country, alertng authorites to deforestaton, desertfcaton, foods and fres: these are just a few of the achievements made towards the protecton of biodiversity in general.
With regard specifcally to birds, highlights include the 57 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) now recognized as being of global importance; studies into 714 species of birds, including 80 threatened species; the protecton of 500 species within the Reserves owned by Guyra Paraguay; the study and protecton of 94 migratory bird species that make use of our territory as a key stopover in their fyways during migraton from places as distant as Alaska and Tierra del Fuego; and the publicaton of more than 20 books on biodiversity and conservaton, including the frst ever “Guide to the Birds of the Paraguay”. At internatonal level, we are one of the most actve partners of both BirdLife Internatonal and the World Land Trust.
This leter would not be complete without a special acknowledgement of the technical skills, general excellence, professionalism and extraordinary human qualites of our people: the Executve Director, his staf and the Board of Directors, whose daily labours constantly renew our pride in being part of Guyra Paraguay.
Much has been achieved, but a great deal remains to be done. This is the tremendous challenge that feeds the spirit that guides and powers our work.
Many thanks for your support and trust.
Jacinto Santa María