Laguna de los Pozuelos Natural Monument and Biosphere Reserve (Argentina)

Laguna de los Pozuelos Natural Monument and Biosphere Reserve (Argentina)

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The Laguna de los Pozuelos Natural Monument and Biosphere Reserve are located in the extreme north of Jujuy, Argentina, in the highlands of the southern central Andes. The highland lagoon and drainage basin is a conservation priority within the Central Andean dry Puna ecoregion.

Laguna de los Pozuelos Natural Monument

The Laguna de los Pozuelos Natural Monument is located in the extreme north of the Argentine Province of Jujuy at 3,600 m (11,800 ft) above sea level. It is part of the highlands of the southern central Andes.

The National Parks Administration of Argentina is responsible for the site, which is a National and Provincial Natural Landmark. It is identified as a conservation priority within the Central Andean dry Puna ecoregion.

The Laguna de Pozuelos is one of the best examples of an inland drainage basin with saline, intermittent lakes and a few permanent lakes. This basin is the most humid in the Argentine Altiplano due to the relatively high rainfall and the presence of an important aquifer.

Pozuelos is a typical highland lagoon with shallow brackish waters and scant vegetation. At its center, the depth is no more than 100 cm (40 in), and it is located in the middle of a vast high plateau, surrounded by high mountain chains, acting as a limit to the basin that covers approximately 380,000 ha (939,000 acres) at 3,600 - 4,700 m (11,800 - 15,400 ft) above sea level.

The surface area of the waters is approximately 7,000 ha (17,300 acres) when the lagoon is full. However, its size increases and decreases seasonally due to rainfall which occurs exclusively in the summer. In addition to the seasonal changes in the volume of the body of water, other less predictable changes occur, such as droughts that can lead to the lagoon drying up completely.

Pozuelos Lagoon qualified as a site of "international importance" for hosting more than 100,000 shorebirds per year and more than 10% of the biographic population of Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii) and Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor).

International designations include being a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention, an Important Bird Area (AICA by its Spanish acronym), a Biosphere Reserve, and a priority site in the Andean Flamingos Conservation Group's Network of Wetlands (GCFA, by its Spanish acronym).

Laguna de los Pozuelos Biosphere Reserve

In 1990, the protected natural area of Laguna de Pozuelos was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Five primary environments can be found within the Biosphere Reserve: lagoon, paleo-lagoon, foothills, volcanic relief, eastern sierras, and western sierras (central massif and river valleys).

Laguna de los Pozuelos is an elongated depression in the Andean highlands, with fresh to brackish water and some submerged aquatic vegetation. In general, it is surrounded by saltwater marshes and flooded land. The center plain is an area of approximately 25,000 acres of shallow, low-salinity water that repeatedly dries out partially or entirely.

The mountain ranges surrounding the lake reflect an elevation gradient in the vegetation. The lake is at the center of a closed basin of about 1,000,000 acres.

Flora and Fauna

The vegetation is characterized by 'tolilla' (Fabiana densa) and 'chijua' (Baccharis boliviensis) shrubs. The wet areas around the watercourses in the upper parts of many streams are covered by permanent green meadows called 'Vegas,' and the lower parts of the streams consist of grasslands and marshlands ('Cienagos') used for pastoralism. The only tree in the area is the 'Queñoa' (Polylepsis tormentella spp.), used for firewood and construction material.

The most important birds in the area are flamingos (Phoenicoparrus jamesi, P. andinus), and one of the leading animal resources in the area is the vicuna (Vicugna vicugna).

During the austral summer (boreal winter), several species of Nearctic shorebirds gather in large numbers at Laguna de los Pozuelos. In total, it hosts more than 100,000 shorebirds, including more than 10% of the biogeographical population of Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii) and Wilsons' Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor).

This site is also home to more than 1% of the biogeographical population of Puna Plover (Charadrius alticola). In addition, during the austral winter (boreal summer), more than 1% of the world's known population of Andean Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus), a "vulnerable" species (IUCN 2012) with a maximum record of 33,000 individuals, use the site.

As many as 15,000 of the near-threatened James' Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi), also known as Puna Flamingo, congregate here. In addition, some nesting Horned Coot (Fulica cornuta), another near-threatened species, have been recorded at the site.

Socio-Economic

Over 3,800 inhabitants (1990) live in the biosphere reserve engaged in intensive pastoralism, mining, and firewood exploitation. The Corporation for the Development of the Pozuelos Basin is promoting the comprehensive development of its inhabitants through plans and programs aimed at better utilizing the natural resources through llama and sheep raising without neglecting the conservation function.

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