A nature protected by national parks
The country is composed of a network of national parks, reserves and natural monuments, which protect extremely varied and fragile ecosystems. They represent about 5% of the territory.
Parque Nacional Iguazú : located in the northeast of the country, on the border with Brazil, it is famous for the impressive Iguazú Falls and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Parque Nacional De Talampaya, in the northwest of the country, in the province of La Rioja, is known for its paleontological and archaeological heritage, including its petroglyphs, located in the dry canyon of the Talampaya River. Botany lovers will discover an exceptional floral biodiversity.
Esteros del Ibera National Park: located in the northeast of the country, it protects the second largest swamp reserve in the world and its remarkable biodiversity (caimans, birds, snakes).
The Parque Nacional Los Cardones: a park to discover cacti in situ! This vast high plateau, located in the northwest of the country, is also home to a remarkable fauna (colocos, guanacos).
In Patagonia :
Los Glaciares National Park: located in Andean Patagonia, it is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to many, many glaciers, including the Glaciar Perito Moreno.
Parque Nacional Lanín : unique for its ancient cold forests called "Valdivian forests", it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Parque Nacional Monte León, on the Patagonian coast, is home to exceptional fauna and flora.
Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi: the first Argentine national park, it is renowned for its lakes and mountain ecosystems.
Parque Nacional Tierra Del Fuego : located near Ushuaia, between land and sea, mountains and lakes, it invites you to discover Tierra del Fuego.
Patagonia National Park : created in 2018 from a donation of land from the Tompkins Foundation, it is home to a rich biodiversity.
Exploited resources and a contaminated environment
Argentina is richly endowed with natural resources: forests, water, natural gas, shale gas, oil, aluminum, copper, precious minerals, rare earths. This abundance has been increasingly exploited since colonization in the 16th century, often with little regard for the environment and indigenous populations. The extraction of lithium, for example, is very costly in terms of water, destructive of natural environments and polluting. The contamination often affects indigenous populations, who are forced to leave. In December 2018, Greenpeace uncovered a scandal splashing 5 oil companies, including Total. Accused of massive and illegal dumping of hydrocarbon residues in storage pools, they are being sued by members of the Mapuche indigenous community. Sometimes it is David who defeats Goliath. For example, the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve owes its survival to the tenacity of fishing families in the face of large-scale projects, including a mining project.
The evils of urbanization
The artificialization of land has also been carried out without taking into account the natural risks. This is the case with the urbanization of Buenos Aires or La Plata, where neighborhoods have been built in flood zones and rivers have been concreted. Very regularly the region experiences major floods, sometimes deadly. To mitigate this vulnerability, an anti-flood tunnel, a pharaonic work, was designed in Buenos Aires. The problem is that its dimensions are insufficient in view of the modelling linked to global warming... Another sadly famous example: the seaside town of Epecuén. City built at the beginning of the XXth century at the edge of a lagoon with therapeutic virtues, it remains today only ruins. Following developments to channel the waters, then a lack of maintenance, a flood devastated the city in 1985. A museum was built in the "Atlantis of the Pampas" in order to show the visitor the carelessness of the Men.
Waste management still insufficient
Waste management remains deficient in the country, where most of the waste ends up in landfills that are not always efficient in terms of health and environment. The traveler will also be surprised by the omnipresence of plastic, especially in packaging. It is estimated that 24% of the country's plastic waste is recycled, the rest disappears into nature. According to the Wild Life Foundation in Argentina, 80% of the waste found on the beaches of Buenos Aires is from plastic. In 2018, Argentine researchers discovered a wild bees' nest fashioned entirely from plastic waste. The causes are not elucidated (lack of natural resources due to herbicides?). In any case, this discovery testifies to a certain capacity of adaptation of living organisms to anthropic pollution. The government is committed to implementing actions in the field of waste management. Thus, reduction at source or circular economy approaches are encouraged in companies and provinces. The economic crisis of 2001 highlighted the activity of cartoneros, who collect paper and cardboard from the capital's garbage garbage cans to sell them. For several years, this profession has been gradually institutionalized.
Argentina facing global warming
The effects of global warming are palpable in a country subject to many natural hazards. In concrete terms, the rise in temperature is causing recurrent and increasingly severe droughts. It induces the melting of glaciers, leading to a rise in water levels and risks of flooding and submersion. In addition, the ice cap of southern Patagonia contains more than 70% of the drinking water consumed in Argentina. In the long run, not only the activities, but also the human lives will be threatened. After decades of not considering environmental issues, the country seems to be more aware of the issues at stake. In 2011, the government enacted a glacier protection law, prohibiting mining, oil and gas extraction in glacier and permafrost areas. The powerful mining lobby(Barrick Gold, Minera Argentina Gold) filed an appeal with the Argentine Supreme Court that same year to overturn the law. In June 2019, The Court issued its ruling reaffirming the constitutionality of the law. This epilogue allows no less than 44 mining projects to be called into question. A victory for environmentalists, even if the battle is far from won. Natural gas is the country's main source of energy. Oil is still widely used, especially for transportation. While the country has limited proven oil reserves, it is considering the extraction of its shale gas, which would have heavy environmental impacts. Measures have been taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions, including the introduction of natural gas vehicles and the development of public transport. However, little has been done to reduce emissions from industry.
An agricultural model to be reinvented
We cannot talk about the environmental situation of the country without mentioning its agriculture. Behind the Argentine steak is an agricultural model that is devastating for both man and nature. The country is the world's leading exporter of soybean meal and oil (soybeans represent 60% of cultivated land). These crops - GMOs patented by Monsanto since 1996 - are fed with pesticides (notably glyphosate). Agro-toxic products are spread by airplanes, without any consideration for the populations, sometimes reaching the schoolyard and contaminating the environment and the people. Cases of cancer and foetal malformations are accumulating. Peasant and subsistence agriculture is disappearing in favor of these industrial crops, leading to the desertification of rural areas. They are the result of a vast deforestation which, by destroying the environment, also drives out the indigenous Wichi populations. According to a study from NGOs published in 2018, some forests of the Gran Chaco would disappear at the same speed as the Amazon forest. The majority of these crops are destined... to feed European cattle. As for the locally produced meat, it is refused on the European market because of the presence of steroids. This is the reality that the director and politician Fernando Solanas depicts in his documentary The Grain and the Chaff, released in 2019. He also highlights the alternatives to this model: organic and local agriculture, without pesticides, favorable to the environment and health. Argentina has the second largest certified organic agricultural area in the world. However, 90% of this production is exported, notably to the United States and Europe. In another context, urban this one, the crisis of 2001 gave birth to a beautiful agricultural project. Rosario, one of the country's largest cities, has set up an urban agriculture program. Its initial goal: to help feed the population in a situation of shortage. Gradually, the approach became part of a real social, environmental and economic project. More than 24 hectares are made available by the Municipality to people - most of them unemployed - to develop food and medicinal crops using agroecological methods. Agriculture rehabilitates neglected land, gives income to the farmers, contributes to feeding the population in a healthy way and improves the landscape quality of the city.
