PATAGONIA'S NATIONAL PARKS
Areas preserved in their original natural state, whether because their flora and fauna are representative of a certain area, because they are of great scientific interest or because of their natural beauty.
The National Parks authorities are the ones in charge of ensuring order, control and assistance to the visitor to any of the Parks.
Any kind of commercial exploitation is strictly forbidden, unless it is connected to tourism, and even in that case it is carefully regulated.
Laguna Blanca NP
(Neuquén)
Lakes in the Patagonian steppe grasslands concentrate waterfowl amongst which the black-necked swan is emblematic. 1940; 11,263 ha. Declared a RAMSAR Site in 1994.
Lanín NP (Neuquén)
The last remnants of the southern Araucaria woods here stand guard over the approaches to Lanín volcano. 1937; 379,000 ha.
Los Arrayanes NP
(Neuquén)
A pure stand of the singular Arrayan tree offers one of the most captivating experiences of the southern woods. 1971; 1,840 ha.
Nahuel Huapi NP
(Neuquén and Río Negro)
The first national park of the country is still the attraction it always was, and is home to endangered species such as the Huemul and the Southern Otter. 1934; 709,890 ha.
Lago Puelo NP (Chubut)
The dampest and densest of the Patagonian forests here growing on Argentine territory. 1971; 23,700 ha. (from 1937 till 1971 it was an adjunct of Los Alerces NP.)
Los Alerces NP (Chubut)
Pristine woods and spectacular lakes where the gigantic Lahuan ("Alerce") grows. Threatened as a species for its valuable wood, these thousand-year-old specimens are truly majestic. 1937; 263,000 ha.
Francisco P. Moreno NP (Santa Cruz)
The wonderfully blue lakes highlight the imposing mountains covered in southern woods, neighboring on the Patagonian steppe. The habitat for the survival of the Huemul. 1937; 115,000 ha.
Los Glaciares NP
(Santa Cruz)
The Moreno glacier, which grinds into Lake Argentino, is one of the most powerful natural spectacles of the country. A World Heritage Site. 1937; 726,927 ha.
Tierra del Fuego
NP (Tierra del Fuego)
The southernmost national park in the country which protects important woods of the Southern Beech ed and coastal areas of the Beagle Channel. 1960; 63,000 ha.
Monte León (Future) NP (Santa Cruz)
This will be the first National Park on the Atlantic coast, with colonies of South American Sea-lions, Magellan Penguins and coastal birds; it includes important archaeological and paleontological deposits as well as a sector of the Patagonian steppe. It is planned to include a section of sea also. In process of creation in 2002; 60,000 ha.
|
|