:: Environmental Program: The Last Noah's Ark ::

ECOLOGICAL SANCTUARIES

Nahuel Huapi National Park- Argentina
(At the condor land)

    I - Park's Description:
    The Nahuel Huapi National Park (from the araucano nahuel = tiger, huapi = island) is locate in the provinces of Rio Negro and Neuquem. It is the biggest and the oldest park of Argentina.
Area: 428.000 ha. Joint to more 330.000 ha of National Reserve, in a total of 705.000 ha of protection global area.
Comprehends mountain areas with a lot of glacial lakes, because it is in the east coast of Andes Cordillera, and there are also rocky and limpid rivers, as Limay River, having as biggest lake the Nahuel Huapi Lake (560 Km2).
The Tronador Mont is detached by its 3.500 m, and three tops.
In the summer there is a lot of rain and the medium temperature is around 18º C. In the winter, the temperature is dryer, and the medium temperature is 2º C.
II - Flora:
    Comprehends more than 1000 species, with distinction to:
    Coihue (Nothofagus dombeyi)-30 a 35 m/alt. El Abuelo,1410.
    Lenga (Nothofagus pumillo)-30 m/alt. altitude passa a 25 cm
    Ñire (Nothofagus antartica)-15 m/alt.
    Cipres (Austrasedrus chilensis)-30 m/alt.
    Alerce (Fitzroya cuoresoide)-40m/alt. It lives up to 2.500 years.
    Pehuen (Araucaria araucana)-30 m/alt.
    Arrayan (Luma apiculata)-20 m/alt. It lives 300 years.
    In Puerto Blest = the exuberant Valdiviana Forest.
    III - Fauna:
   As data from a rising realized from 1982-1984, there are 200 vertebrate species, 46 of them are endemic from the Patagon region:
120 birds species (19 endemic); 42 mammal species (12 endemic); 13 amphibian species (11 endemic); 12 reptiles species (4 endemic) and 11 fishes species (all of them are endemic).
Mainly mammals: Felis concolor; Felis guigna; Lutra provocax; Llama guanicoe; Hippocamelus bisulcus; Pudu pudu and Dusicyon culpaeus.
    IV - Avifauna:
    There are in the Park 120 birds species, and 19 are endemic from the Patagon region.
    Among birds, there are: Vultur gryphus; Phalacrocorax atriceps; Merganetta armata; Scelorchilus rubecula; Turdus falcklandii; Columba araucana; Podiceps major, Campephilus magellanicus and Theristicus caudatus.

V- Conservation State:
    It is almost preserved in all of its space, but the human presence with villages and the San Carlos de Bariloche city causes environmental impact where they occur.
Reserve: Laguna del Junco.
Besides, exotic animals hunt is permitted, allowing the wild animals hunt, because of the difficulties in controlling the hunter. Sportive hunt is permitted from 01.05 to 31.07. In the parks it is prohibited but can be permitted by the owners.
Also the burning occurrences in the summer (almost all of them are provoked), causing environmental damage.
VI- Consulted bibliography:
    - CHEHÉBAR, Claudio; RAMILO, Eduardo. Fauna del Parque Nacional   Nahuel Huapi. Administracion de Parques Nacionales y Asòciación   Amigos del Museo de la Patagonia "Francisco P.Moreno.
    - PETROFF, Ana. Guia Maravilla-Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi.Realización   Ana Petroff. sem data.
    - NAROSKY, T. & YZURIETA, D. 1987. Guia para la identificación de las   aves de Argentina y Uruguay-Asociación Ornitológica del Plata, 345   pág.
    VII –Click here to see some more images from the region, registered by us.

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