Pereyra Iraola Provincial Park and Biosphere Reserve (Argentina)

Pereyra Iraola Provincial Park and Biosphere Reserve (Argentina)

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Pereyra Iraola Provincial Park and Biosphere Reserve are located along the banks of the Río de la Plata in the northeastern part of Argentina's Buenos Aires Province. It is the province's largest urban park and its richest center of biodiversity.

Pereyra Iraola Provincial Park and Biosphere Reserve

Pereyra Iraola Provincial Park is located between the municipalities of La Plata and Berazategui, along the banks of the Río de la Plata, in the northeastern part of Argentina's Buenos Aires Province. It is the Province's largest urban Park and its richest center of biodiversity.

The Pereyra Iraola family originally owned the land. In 1949, the land was expropriated by the government headed by General Juan Perón to build a community park, which was opened a year later.

In 2007, UNESCO designated the Park as a Biosphere Reserve. It has a surface area of 10,248 ha (25,323 acres). Located in Argentina's largest vegetable-producing area, family farming provides a living for the roughly 2,500 people that live within the Park and Reserve.

The Park and Reserve is the largest public space in Greater Buenos Aires, making it a convenient leisure site for more than 13 million people. It features activities such as hiking, cycling and bird watching.

In addition to its natural attributes, the property contains a valuable architectural heritage. For example, the stately Santa Rosa house (currently used for administration) was one of the original estancias. Additional architectural elements that date from the founding era of La Plata remain.

As the last protected area of the original riverside ecosystem, it is home to Buenos Aires Province's greatest biological diversity. The site includes a habitat for endangered bird species such as the burrito colorado (Laterallus Leucopyrrhus). Furthermore, the area is also known for its medicinal plants and underground aquifers.

It is home to hundreds of species unique to the region, particularly birds. Almost 70% of avifauna in the Province can be found in the Reserve, with 288 species, including the endangered burrito colorado.

In terms of floristic biodiversity, the region is rich in different kinds of native trees, like the tala (Celtis tala), sauco (Sambucus australis) and espinillo (Acacia caven), as well as other types of ferns and grasslands.