From drivers to solutions in the Valdés Biosphere Reserve, Argentina: a systems assessment of pressures, ecosystem change and policy options

This review examines how human activities affect the sustainability of the Valdés Biosphere Reserve in coastal Patagonia. We conducted a 2000–2024 systematic literature review, complemented by expert interviews, and analysed the evidence using the Drivers – Activities – Pressures – State change – Impacts (on Welfare) – Responses (as Measures) – DAPSI(W)R(M) framework. The review identifies four key activity sectors driving environmental change: wildlife-viewing tourism, extensive sheep grazing, artisanal fisheries, and inadequate waste management. These activities generate pressures that lead to habitat degradation, wildlife disturbance, resource overexploitation, and pollution. Resulting state changes include shrub encroachment and desertification from overgrazing, stressed or declining wildlife populations linked to tourism and pollution, and historical collapses of key fishery resources. These changes erode ecosystem services and human well-being by reducing wool and fisheries yields, increasing vulnerability of nature-based tourism, and undermining cultural values tied to iconic species and landscapes. We further synthesise evidence on management responses and find mixed effectiveness: whale-watching regulations and earlier co-management in artisanal fisheries show promise, whereas grazing management and waste governance remain weak. Based on this systematic literature review, we propose actionable measures including reduced stocking rates and adaptive grazing, strengthened fisheries co-management and stock assessments, circular waste valorization strategies, and more participatory, integrated governance. These findings provide a science-based foundation to inform decision-making for the newly created Valdés Biosphere Reserve Management Committee and policy-makers.