The Natural resources of Argentina Are mainly based on the fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium, farmland.
Argentina is southeast of South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay; Its geographical coordinates are: 3400º S, 6400º W; It has plains of the Pampas in the middle of the north, plateaus of flat to undulating in the Patagonia of the south, 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 of 595 msnm. Its lowest point is the Coal Lagoon at -105 masl, located between Puerto San Julián and Commander Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa Cruz. In turn, its highest point is in the Aconcagua hill at 6,690 masl, which is located in the northwest corner of the province of Mendoza. It is also the highest point in all 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 their land is devoted to agriculture, 10.7% to forests and the remaining 35.4% to urban and other areas. Brown and Pacheco (2005), propose a classification of the Argentine territory based on 18 ecoregions defined according to climatic variables and biodiversity (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Ecoregions in Argentina (Brown and Pacheco, 2005). The transformation of natural environments is concentrated in the pampas, the Paraná forest, the spinal, the humid chaco and the dry chaco (Eva et al., 2004).
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) and has been a world leader in establishing 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 lowest biodiversity of Argentina, being the region with less conservation problems, its vegetation is grass steppe or shrub low and sparse and its fauna is adapted the harsh environmental conditions of the mountain.
La Puna
The Puna has a vegetation of shrub steppe, its diversity of species is low. They emphasize the vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) and the condor (Vultur gryphus) as wild species and the llamas (Lama glama) and alpaca (Vicugna pacos) as domestic native species. There are few conservation problems here.
Montes y Sierras Bolsones
In the Montes y Sierras Bolsones region the vegetation is a high shrub steppe (1 to 3 m high) with abundant jarillas and associated species. The fauna consists mainly of rodent rodents. The most common disturbance in this region is grazing livestock and fires.
Jungle of Yungas
The Jungle of Yungas 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 land use to agricultural use.
Chaco Seco
In Chaco Seco the diversity is high, among the characteristic fauna we find the jaguar (Panthera onca), the tatú cart (Priodontes maximus), three species of wild boar (Tayassu pecari, T. tajacu and Catagonus wagneri), guanaco (Lama guanicoe) And the anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). In addition to a great diversity of birds, reptiles, and insects. This ecoregion has been heavily impacted by livestock and forestry.
Humid Chaco
In Chaco Humid also we find a high diversity characterized by a variety of forests, marshes, bathed, savannahs, grasslands, lakes and rivers. Predominant tree species such as quebracho (Schinopsis sp. And Aspidosperma sp.), Guayacán (Caesalpinia sp.) And lapacho (Tabebuia sp.). Agricultural activity has been established in the highlands of this region, which are currently occupied almost entirely.
Selva Paranaense
La Selva Paranaense presents the greatest diversity of species in the country. Here you will find 50% of Argentine birds. It also has the greatest tree species richness in the country with more than 100 species, where species such as cedar (Cedrela fissilis) and pine paraná (Araucaria angustifolia) predominate.
However, this region is affected by processes of extraction of native species, cultivation of exotic forest species and hydropower infrastructure works.
Esteros del Ibera
The Esteros del Ibera region has a high biodiversity and is in good condition. It presents 1,659 species of vascular plants and 30% of the freshwater fish and 25% of terrestrial vertebrates of the country.
In this region we can find a large number of endangered species such as bog deer (Blastocerus dichotomus), pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), aguará guazú (Chrysocyon brachyurus), yellow thrush (Xanthopsar flavus) and yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus).
Fields and Malezales
In the Campos and Malezales region the vegetation is made up of grasslands and pastures where we find 14 different kinds of grasses, as well as small patches of open forest. In this region stand out rice cultivation, pine plantations and livestock.
Delta region and Parana River islands
The delta and Paraná Islands region is a combination of aquatic ecosystems, forests and grasslands, which gives it a high diversity, emphasizing species of fish such as shad (Prochilodus lineatus) and tararira (Hoplias malabaricus); Birds such as the criollo duck (Cairina moschata) and the picabuey (Machetornis ilsoxus); And mammals such as the howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) and 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 hills, savannas and pure pastures. The region is characterized by its decipheric xerophilous forests of Prosopis (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 of this region in the replacement of native vegetation by uses of agricultural and livestock land.
The Pampa
The region of the Pampa 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 Syrii (Dendrocygna viudata) and 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 common sparrow (Passer domesticus). The pampa is the most populated area of the country and has been profoundly modified by farming and urban systems.
Hills of plains and plateaus
In the mounts of plains and plateaus the characteristic vegetation is the steppe of Jarilla and the Carob trees. In this region we find mammals such as puma (Puma concolor) and guanaco (Lama guanicoe); Bird specimens such as the pale inambú (Nothura darwinii) and the martinet (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 a squatting scrub type with xerophytic grasses. There are animals such as the puma (Puma concolor), the Patagonian hares (Dolichotis patagonicus) and the ñandú (Pterocnemia pennata). The main activity in the region is sheep grazing.
In the Patagonian Forests, the high humid temperate forest (30 to 40 m high), deciduous forests and coniferous forests predominate. The climate in this region is colder, the diversity of species is high and its forests are in good state of conservation.
Argentina antarctica
In the continental zone of the Argentine Antarctic 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 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, maize, sunflower, alfalfa, sorghum, cotton and barley.
Before the 1990s, the agricultural area comprised about 22 million hectares and the main crops were wheat and alfalfa.
From this decade the cultivated area of the country increased notably thanks to the great expansion that had the cultivation of soybean. The expansion of soy was of such magnitude that in 2006 the area planted with soybeans accounted for more than 15 million hectares. (Aizen et al., 2009).
The expansion of soybeans in Argentina is explained by rising international market prices, high yields of genetically modified varieties, short rotation times and low tillage costs.
However, this crop involves processes that imply a high environmental cost, such as loss of biodiversity due to accelerated clearing, as well as the intensification of land use that accelerates environmental degradation processes (Aizen et al., 2009).
Fishing
Fishing in Argentina has been characterized by the capture of two species of molluscs, the scallop tehuelche (Aequipecten tehuelchus) and the Patagonian scallop, (Patagonian Zygochlamys). Scallop Tehuelche is exploited on a small scale in the coastal region of the Patagonian Gulf and its capture involves commercial diving and small volumes landed.
However, it represents significant incomes for local economies. On the other hand, the Patagonian scallop fishery is an industrial operation with catches of around 50,000 tons per year that place this activity among the most important scallop fisheries in the world. (Ciocco et al., 2006).
Contamination
Because Argentina has 0.6% of total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions relative to the world, its participation in international programs (such as the Kyoto Protocol or the Paris International Summit) has been necessary to Reduce pollution.
The country has proclaimed itself as a volunteer since the fifth conference of countries setting targets for GHG reduction; Being the only country that has taken such responsibilities (Barros & Conte, 2002), becoming a world leader in establishing voluntary targets to implement actions that can reduce GHGs in the world.
Figure 2. Total EGI emissions including land and forest uses 2012 (Million tonnes 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 maritime passage located between the boundaries of Chile and Argentina, between Patagonia and the large island of Tierra del Fuego. Its peculiarity is that it consists of water bodies 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 and the area has been divided into three sub-basins (Fabiano, et al., 1999).
Beagle Channel
It is a narrow channel used for the maritime passage, 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 E-O direction connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The north coast corresponds to the Big Island of Tierra del Fuego, while the southern 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 outside the Yamanas, where its main economic source was hunting and fishing, although at present there are very few, many of them dispersed in the north of Chile And Argentina (Piana, et al., 1992).
The Drake Passage
The Drake passage or drake passage is a stretch of sea that separates South America from Antarctica. At present it is considered as a key commercial route between the markets of Asia Pacific and the rest of the world, its waters are said to be the most stormy of the planet.
A very current hypothesis argues that the Antarctic Peninsula was attached to the western edge of Patagonia until the Triassic period to gradually migrate to its current position, in a process that, among other things, opened the Drake pass (IACh, 2006).
At present, research has been carried out in connection with the opening up to the Drake pass, since many researchers consider that it is possibly associated with abrupt climatic changes in the Eocene and Oligocene boundaries (Livermore, et al., 2007).
References
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