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Walker, S.; Funes, M.; Heidel, L.; Palacios, R.; Novaro, A.
The endangered Andean cat and fracking in Patagonia
2014 Oryx (48): 13-15
In July 2013 oil giant Chevron and the Argentine YPF oil company signed an agreement opening the door to massive exploitation of shale oil and gas in one of the most biodiverse regions of the Patagonian steppe (Chehebar et al., 2013, Valoraci¢n de sitios para la conservaci¢n de la biodiversidad en la estepa y el monte de Patagonia, Administraci¢n de Parques Nacionales de Argentina- WCS-TNC, Buenos Aires). This region is home to the most genetically distinct (Cossios et al., 2012, Endangered Species Research, 283-294) population of the most threatened cat species of the Americas, the Andean mountain cat _Leopardus jacobit_a. The species was thought to be restricted to high Andean habitats until it was discovered in Argentina's northern Patagonian steppe at 650 m altitude in 2008 (Novaro et al., 2010, Cat News, 8-10). The entire currently known range of the Patagonian Andean cat lies atop the Vaca Muerta shale reserve, recently identified as one of the world's largest deposits of shale gas and oil.
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