WHAT ARE THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF ARGENTINA? - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The natural resources of Argentina are mainly based on the fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, oil, uranium, farmland.

Argentina is located in the southeast of South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay; its geographic coordinates are 3400º S, 6400º W; it has plains of the Pampas in the middle of the north, plateaus from flat to undulating in southern Patagonia, covers of the Andes along the border to the west. Its climate is mostly temperate, arid in the southeast and subantarctic in the southwest (CIA, 2015).

Its average elevation is 595 meters above sea level. Its lowest point is the Carbon Lagoon at -105 meters above sea level, located between Puerto San Julián and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa Cruz.

In turn, its highest point is on the Aconcagua hill at 6,690 meters above sea level, which is located in the northwest corner of the province of Mendoza. It is also the highest point in all of South America.

Argentina is the second largest country in South America, after Brazil, with a total area of ​​2,780,400 km2, of which 2,736,690 km2 are land and 43,710 km2 are water. Its maritime territory is 12 mn.

53.9% of its land is used for agriculture, 10.7% for forests and the remaining 35.4% for urban areas and others. Brown and Pacheco (2005), propose a classification of the Argentine territory based on 18 ecoregions defined in terms of climatic and biodiversity variables (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Ecoregions in Argentina (Brown and Pacheco, 2005). The transformation of natural environments is concentrated in the pampas, the Parana forest, the spinal, the humid chaco and the dry chaco (Eva et al. 2004).

Argentina is strategically located in relation to the maritime lanes between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Pass) and has repeatedly been a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse gas targets..

Biodiversity

The biodiversity of Argentina is distributed within the different ecoregions as follows (Convention on Biological Diversity, 2010):

High Andes

In the High Andes we find the least biodiversity in Argentina, being the region with the least conservation problems, its vegetation is grass steppe or low and sparse shrubland and its fauna is adapted to the harsh environmental conditions of the mountain.

The puna

The Puna has a shrubby steppe vegetation, its species diversity is low. The vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) and the condor (Vultur gryphus) stand out as wild species and the llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Vicugna pacos) as domestic autochthonous species. There are few conservation problems here.

Montes and Sierras Bolsones

In the Montes y Sierras Bolsones region, the vegetation is a tall shrub steppe (1 to 3 m. High) with abundant jars and associated species.

The fauna is mainly made up of caviar rodents. The most common disturbance in this region is cattle grazing and fires.

Yungas jungle

The Yungas Jungle presents a high diversity, where we can find more than 40 endemic species of trees and succulent plants of a total of 282 species. Its main problem is deforestation for agricultural land use purposes.

Dry Chaco

In Chaco Seco the diversity is high, among the characteristic fauna we find the jaguar (Panthera onca), the tatú carreta (Priodontes maximus), three species of wild boar (Tayassu pecari, T. tajacu and Catagonus wagneri), the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and the anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla).

In addition to a great diversity of birds, reptiles, and insects. This ecoregion has suffered a strong impact caused by livestock and forestry.

Humid Chaco

In the Humid Chaco we also find a high diversity characterized by a variety of forests, estuaries, wetlands, savannas, grasslands, lakes and rivers.

Tree species such as quebracho (Schinopsis sp. And Aspidosperma sp.), Guayacán (Caesalpinia sp.) And lapacho (Tabebuia sp.) Predominate. Agricultural activity has been established in the highlands of this region, which are currently almost entirely occupied.

Paranaense Jungle

The Paranaense Forest presents the greatest diversity of species in the country. Here you will find 50% of the Argentine birds. It also has the highest richness in tree species in the country with more than 100 species, where species such as cedar (Cedrela fissilis) and paraná pine (Araucaria angustifolia) predominate.

However, this region is affected by processes of extraction of native species, cultivation of exotic forest species and hydro-energy infrastructure works.

Esteros del Ibera

The Esteros del Ibera region has a high biodiversity and is in a good state of conservation. It has 1,659 species of vascular plants and 30% of the freshwater fish and 25% of the land vertebrates of the country.

In this region we can find an important number of threatened species such as the swamp deer (Blastocerus dichotomus), the pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), the yellow thrush (Xanthopsar flavus) and the yellow anaconda. (Eunectes notaeus).

Fields and Undergrowth

In the Campos y Malezales region, the vegetation is made up of grasslands and grasslands where we find 14 different kinds of pastures, as well as small patches of open forest. In this region stand out the cultivation of rice, pine plantations and livestock.

Delta region and islands of the Paraná river

The Delta Region and the Paraná Islands is a combination of aquatic ecosystems, forests and grasslands which gives it a high diversity, highlighting fish species such as tarpon (Prochilodus lineatus) and tararira (Hoplias malabaricus); birds such as the native duck (Cairina moschata) and the oxpecker (Machetornis ilsoxus); and mammals such as the howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) and the coati (Nasua nasua).

This region is affected by agricultural and livestock practices, industrial development, and urban settlements.

Spinal

In the Espinal region we find low mountains, savannas and pure grasslands. The region is characterized by its xerophilous deciduous Prosopis forests (carob trees, ñandubay, caldén) that do not exceed 10m in height.

We also find palm groves, grassy savannas, grassy steppes and shrub steppes. The main problem in this region is the replacement of native vegetation by agricultural and livestock land uses.

The Pampa

The Pampa region is characterized by its wide grasslands. It has a medium diversity where mammals such as the overa weasel (Didelphis albiventris) and the pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus) stand out; birds such as the sirirí (Dendrocygna viudata) and tufted partridge (Nothura sp.); and reptiles such as the overo lizard (Tupinambis merianae).

We also find exotic species such as the European hare (Lepus europaeus) and the house sparrow (Passer domesticus). The pampas are the most populated area in the country, which is why it has been profoundly modified by the agricultural and urban systems.

Mountains of plains and plateaus

In the plains and plateaus mountains the characteristic vegetation is the steppe of jarilla and the carob trees. In this region we find mammals such as the puma, (Puma concolor) and the guanaco (Lama guanicoe); specimens of birds such as the pale inambú (Nothura darwinii) and the martineta (Eudromia elegans); and species of reptiles such as the red iguana (Tupinambis rufescens) and the false coral (Lystrophis semicinctus).

The main problems in this region are caused by cattle ranching, logging and mines.

Patagonian steppe

The vegetation of the Patagonian Steppe is of a stunted scrub type with xerophilous grasses. There are animals like the puma (Puma concolor), the Patagonian hares (Dolichotis patagonicus) and the rhea (Pterocnemia pennata). The main activity in the region is sheep herding.

In the Patagonian Forests the upper humid temperate forest predominates (30 to 40 m. Height), deciduous forests and coniferous forests. The climate in this region is colder, the diversity of species is high and its forests present a good state of conservation.

Antarctica Argentina

In the continental zone of Argentine Antarctica there is very little vegetation and this is reduced to a few patches of grass. Here we can find species of penguins, seals, and some birds associated with vegetation such as the giant petrel (Macronectes Giganteus).

In the sea and the coastal areas of this region we find a great diversity of species. The Argentine Antarctic region is a very little degraded area.

farming

Argentina's main agricultural products are soybeans, wheat, corn, sunflower, alfalfa, sorghum, cotton, and barley.

Before the 1990s, the agricultural area comprised around 22 million hectares and the main crops were wheat and alfalfa.

As of this decade, the cultivated area of ​​the country increased notably thanks to the great expansion of soy cultivation. The expansion of soybeans was of such magnitude that in 2006 the area cultivated with soybeans represented more than 15 million hectares. (Aizen et al. 2009).

The expansion of soybeans in Argentina is explained by rising prices in the international market, high yields of genetically modified varieties, short rotation times and low tillage costs.

However, this cultivation involves processes that imply a high environmental cost, such as the loss of biodiversity due to accelerated clearing, as well as the intensification of land use that accelerates the processes of environmental degradation (Aizen et al. 2009).

Fishing

Fishing in Argentina has been characterized by the capture of two species of mollusks, the Tehuelche scallop (Aequipecten tehuelchus) and the Patagonian scallop (Zygochlamys patagónica).

The Tehuelche scallop is exploited on a small scale in the coastal region of the Gulf of Patagonia and its capture involves commercial diving and small volumes landed.

However, it represents income of considerable importance to local economies. On the other hand, the Patagonian scallop fishery is an industrial operation with catches of the order of 50,000 tons per year, which places this activity among the most important scallop fisheries in the world. (Ciocco et al. 2006).

Contamination

Because Argentina has 0.6% of the total Greenhouse Gases (EGI) with respect to the world, its participation in international programs (such as the Kyoto Protocol or the Paris International Summit) have been necessary to carry out actions that decrease pollution.

The country has proclaimed itself as a volunteer since the fifth conference of countries, establishing goals aimed at reducing GHG; being the only country that has taken on this kind of responsibility (Barros & Conte, 2002), repeatedly becoming a world leader in the establishment of voluntary goals to implement actions that can reduce GHG in the world.

Figure 2. Total EGI Emissions including land and forest uses 2012 (Millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions) (CAIT, 2015).

Strait of Magellan

Argentina has a strategic location in relation to the maritime lanes between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific Oceans (Magellan Strait, Beagle Channel, Drake Pass).

The Strait of Magellan is a sea crossing located between the limits of Chile and Argentina, between Patagonia and the large island of Tierra del Fuego.

Its particularity is that it is made up of water masses from three oceans: the Pacific, the Atlantic and the South Sea, for this reason it offers interesting singularities for the study of biodiversity (Ríos, et. Al., 2003).

The geomorphological and hydrological characteristics of the strait are very complex, which is why the area has been divided into three sub-basins (Fabiano, et. Al., 1999).

Beagle Channel

It is a narrow channel used for maritime passage, it has an extension of 300 km and an average width of 5 km (Gordillo, 2010), located in the extreme south of South America and with an EW direction connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The north coast corresponds to the Big Island of Tierra del Fuego, while the south coast to the Hoste and Navarino islands, separated by the Murray Channel (Gordillo, 2010).

The portion located in Argentina is located in Tierra de Fuego, a house that was owned by the Yamanas, in which its main economic source was hunting and fishing, although at present there are very few left, many of them dispersed to the north of Chile and Argentina (Piana, et. al., 1992).

The Drake Passage

The Drake Passage or Drake Passage is a stretch of sea which separates South America from Antarctica. At present it is considered as a key trade route between the markets of Asia Pacific and the rest of the world, it is said that its waters are the most stormy on the planet.

A very current hypothesis holds that the Antarctic Peninsula was attached to the western edge of Patagonia until the Triassic to gradually migrate to its current position, in a process that, among other things, opened the way for Drake (IACh, 2006).

At present, there have been numerous investigations related to the opening to the Drake Pass, as many researchers consider that it is possibly associated with abrupt changes in climates in the Eocene and Oligocene limits (Livermore, et. Al., 2007).

References

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