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The main cause of our fauna’s conservation problems is the fragmentation and reduction of habitat as a result of human activities (cutting down native forests, the drying up of wetlands, the habilitation of lands for agriculture and cattle farming, urban construction, roads, and others).  However, there are other factors that increase risk, such as:

The accidental or intentional introduction of foreign or exotic species: this causes damage to native fauna, as it increases competition for food, or provokes the death of native species via predation or the transmission of diseases.
Some introduced species are sparrows, pigeons, rabbits, beavers, quail, wild boar, mink, pheasants and deer (such as the Fallow Deer or Dama dama and the Red Deer or Cervus elaphus).  Among fish, introduced species are salmon and trout.  In the invertebrate group we find an herbivorous mollusk known as the abalone (Haliotis spp.).
Water and ground contamination: acid rain, litter contamination and contaminated water and gasses, among other factors, damage both the land and the aquatic habitats of many animals.  This causes in some cases the death of various species.

Indiscriminate hunting and capture:  although Law 19.473 prohibits the hunting or capture of any native vertebrate animals, this kind of activity is still pursued in our country with the goal of obtaining furs, meat, wool or eggs, or to commercialize animals as pets.  The species most affect by illegal fishing and hunting are chinchillas, vizcachas, otters, marine otters, foxes, sea lions, guanacos, huemuls, vicuñas, pudus, Chilean pigeons, parrots, rheas, flamingos, swans, coots, lizards and wall lizards.

Domestic animal diseases: among these are pneumonia, rabies and distemper, which have been transmitted to wild fauna, causing the death of thousands of species.  Among the animals that can be affected by distemper are foxes, wolves, seals and sea lions.

Natural disasters: earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornados, volcanic eruptions, drought and flooding cause the disappearance of animal species.


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