National Parks
The country has a network of protected areas including national parks:
Parque nacional de Santa Teresa: located in the department of Rocha, it is managed by the Army Parks Service (an exception among national parks). It protects marine and terrestrial ecosystems, as well as elements of historical heritage.
Parque nacional F. D. Roosevelt (ex-Carrasco, 370 ha) : located in the department of Canenoles, it is a recreational area, which includes a park with more than 300 hectares and 700,000 trees.
Parque nacional Isla San Gabriel : this park protects the island of the same name, located in the department of Colonia del Sacramento . With a surface area of 24 hectares, the island is also classified as a historical monument.
Parque nacional Cabo Polonio : located in the department of Rocha, it protects a coastal fringe and islands associated with remarkable dune and marine ecosystems. It is home to a colony of sea lions and seals. It is classified as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO and RAMSAR wetland.
Parque Nacional Arequita : on 950 hectares, 11 km from Minas, you can observe a native fauna and flora; the Cerro Arequita culminates at 230 m and overhangs magnificent caves.
Parque Nacional Lacustre: 72 km2 of lagoon near José Ignacio, La Laguna Garzón and Rocha; there are more than 200 species of birds.
Parque nacional Isla de Flores : classified as a national park in 2018, this island in the Rio de la Plata is home to rich marine and terrestrial ecosystems, as well as a historical heritage. To see: the museum of the Lazaretto.
Parque nacional Esteros de Farrapos et Islas del Río Uruguay : classified as a remarkable wetland (RAMSAR), the park, located in the department of Río Negro, protects an exceptional biodiversity of flora and fauna (pumas, birds, reptiles, butterflies, amphibians), and a great diversity of natural environments (forests, marshes, flood plains, etc.).
Parque nacional San Miguel : located in the department of Rocha, it protects the ecosystems of theArequita range and its different environments (marshes, mountains, volcanic rocks, etc.) and its exceptional biodiversity.
Livestock and agriculture: economic base, ecological disaster
Livestock farming is very important to the economy (exports) but also to the ecology of the country, which has four cattle for every inhabitant. The digestion of cows emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, in a country where 12 million of these ruminants are raised. Livestock farming accounts for 62% of Uruguay's greenhouse gas emissions. Aware of these challenges, the country launched the "Livestock and Climate" program in 2020 with the help of the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) and the GEF (Global Environment Facility). The aim is to improve carbon storage in the soil by restoring overgrazed grasslands through technical solutions. A major issue is the decrease in activity and its corollary, the decrease in global meat consumption. Livestock farming also raises the question of the use of antibiotics and other veterinary products, which spread into the surrounding environment and the food chain. This type of livestock farming is also associated with the cultivation of soybeans, mostly imported, a crop that is often GMO and sprayed with pesticides, which leads to a change in land use (deforestation) and contributes to the decline of biodiversity.
The impact of the paper industry
The diversification of the economy has resulted in the construction of two large pulp mills, which was marred by a bitter dispute with Argentina between 2005 and 2010, the "paper war". This industry has various environmental impacts: it requires water, energy, transportation and wood resources. The latter comes from eucalyptus plantations, which have the effect of depleting the soil and biodiversity, and consuming water. Note that the paper bleaching process is elemental chlorine free (ECF), which does not mean chemical free (use of chlorine dioxide) and without rejection.
Cyanobacteria, symbols of the imbalances created by human activities
The periodic invasion of cyanobacteria on the Uruguayan coasts is a visible illustration of anthropogenic pollution, mainly agricultural and industrial. The effluents, loaded with nitrates and phosphates, flow into the rivers, before reaching the ocean. In shallow waters and under the effect of heat, they promote the proliferation of cyanobacteria, for example at the beaches, which must then be closed to the public for health reasons, as was the case in 2017.
Facing climate change
Uruguay is experiencing the effects of climate change, including a greater frequency and intensity of extreme events, such as the major floods of 2019 in the Pampa plain, or the drought of the winter of 2022-2023 associated with temperatures reaching up to +44 °C. In view of this, the country has set itself the goal of increasing and diversifying its share of renewable energy. The country's electricity mix is based on hydroelectricity (dams) at 94.5% (2016 figure), with the risks associated with the potential decrease in water resources. The country has made investments in wind and solar energy. The latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) synthesis published in March 2023 states that "any further delay in concerted and anticipated global action on climate change adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief, rapidly closing opportunity to ensure a livable and sustainable future for all."
What about us?
Because each gesture counts, we can all act in the construction of a desirable future, in our individual and collective actions. Here are some links and tools to question and act on waste(www.zerowastefrance.org), ecological footprint (www.footprintcalculator.org) and carbon footprint (ADEME calculator: https: //agirpourlatransition.ademe.fr). For a "fair, clean and healthy" food, we can get closer to the slowfood movement, present in Uruguay. It highlights local know-how and lists the approaches to agricultural biodiversity and gastronomic traditions(slowfood.com).
