Los Flamencos National Reserve
Los Flamencos National Reserve (Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos) | |
---|---|
Corporación Nacional Forestal | |
Official name | Salar de Tara |
Designated | 2 December 1996 |
Reference no. | 875[1] |
Official name | Sistema Hidrológico de Soncor del Salar de Atacama |
Designated | 2 December 1996 |
Reference no. | 876[2] |
Official name | Salar de Pujsa |
Designated | 14 August 2009 |
Reference no. | 1871[3] |
Los Flamencos National Reserve is a nature reserve located in the commune of San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta Region of northern Chile.[4] The reserve covers a total area of 740 square kilometres (290 sq mi) in the Central Andean dry puna ecoregion[5] and consists of seven separate sections.
Climate
The reserve has a desert climate with the temperature varying dramatically between day (average temperature high is 25.3 °C (77.5 °F)) and night (average low is 3.7 °C (38.7 °F)).[6] Rain is more frequent in summer, with an average high of 3 millimeters.
Month | Low | High | Season |
---|---|---|---|
January | 10 °C (50 °F) | 27 °C (81 °F) | Summer |
February | 9 °C (48 °F) | 25 °C (77 °F) | Summer |
March | 5 °C (41 °F) | 24 °C (75 °F) | Summer |
April | 3 °C (37 °F) | 25 °C (77 °F) | Fall |
May | 2 °C (36 °F) | 25 °C (77 °F) | Fall |
June | 2 °C (36 °F) | 30 °C (86 °F) | Fall |
July | 4 °C (39 °F) | 20 °C (68 °F) | Winter |
August | 1 °C (34 °F) | 25 °C (77 °F) | Winter |
September | 3 °C (37 °F) | 25 °C (77 °F) | Winter |
October | 2 °C (36 °F) | 28 °C (82 °F) | Spring |
November | −1 °C (30 °F) | 24 °C (75 °F) | Spring |
December | 4 °C (39 °F) | 26 °C (79 °F) | Spring |
Sections
Salar de Tara – Salar de Aguas Calientes
This area is made up of two salt flats: Salar de Tara, located 120 kilometres east of San Pedro de Atacama and 440 kilometres northeast of Antofagasta, and Salar de Aguas Calientes, reaching an elevation of up to 4,860 metres (15,940 ft) above sea level.[7]
In 1996, Salar de Tara was designated a
- Flora and fauna
The flora is characterized by the presence of high elevation wetland, as well as yellow straw, broom sedge, tola de agua and tola amaia (two species of Parastrephia), and coirón (Festuca gracillima), which can be observed on flat and hilly terrain and on the slopes of volcanoes and hills Salar de Tara provides a habitat for various rare and endangered species of wildlife. Some, like the southern viscacha, vicuña and Darwin's rhea, are classified as endangered species. Others, such as Andean goose, horned coot, Andean gull, puna tinamou and the three flamingo species inhabiting in Chile (Andean flamingo, Chilean flamingo, and James's flamingo) are considered vulnerable. The conservation status of the tawny tuco-tuco and the Andean fox is unknown.[8] The latter lives in all the sections of the reserve.[10]
Wind erosion features occur in this area.
Salar de Pujsa
Salar de Pujsa is a salt flat located southwest of Salar de Tara, 83 kilometres (52 mi) from San Pedro de Atacama, and northeast of
The flora found here is similar to that found in the Tara and Aguas Calientes areas, characterized by high elevation wetland, yellow straw, broom sedge, tola de agua and tola amaia (two species of Parastrephia), and coirón (Festuca gracillima), which can be observed on flat and hilly terrain. The fauna includes
Miscanti and Miñiques Lagoons
A lava flow from an eruption of
This portion of the reserve is home to a variety of birds, including the Andean flamingo, Chilean flamingo, horned coot, silvery grebe, Andean gull and greenish yellow finch.[13] Mammals include the vicuña, Andean fox, and Darwin's leaf-eared mouse.
Salar de Atacama
This area is formed by two sub-sections, Soncor and Quelana. Both comprise lagoons lying over the Salar de Atacama, the largest salt flat in Chile at an elevation of 2,305 metres (7,562 ft) with an extensive salt crust.[14]
Soncor section
The Soncor area includes the Chaxa, Puilar and Barros Negros lagoons. Despite the extreme conditions, the Salar de Atacama sustains a wide variety of species including Chilean and Andean flamingos (the latter using it as an important nesting site), the Andean avocet, the yellow-billed teal, the crested duck, the puna plover and Baird's sandpiper.[13] Various plant species ground around the edges of the lagoons, such as ), among others. The Sistema hidrológico de Soncor (Soncor hydrological system), like the Salar de Tara, is a Ramsar protected site. It comprises four shallow salt lakes.[15]
Quelana section
Located 10 kilometres from the path to Chaxa lagoon, the Quelana section features extensive salt crust and saline mud. The terrain is flat with an average elevation of 2,300 metres.[16] It shares much of the same flora and fauna of the Soncor section, including the three species of flamingos present in Chile as well as eagles, swallows, burrowing owls and geese.
Valle de la Luna
This section includes archaeological sites such as the village of
Tambillo
This section is to the nearest to
Tambillo contains similar fauna to the other sections of the reserve, including the
See also
References
- ^ "Salar de Tara". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "Sistema Hidrológico de Soncor del Salar de Atacama". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "Salar de Pujsa". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ II región, Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos Archived 2020-03-18 at the Wayback Machine www.profesorenlinea.cl retrieved June 21, 2013
- doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2. Archived from the original on 2011-10-14.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ [1] Archived 2020-03-18 at the Wayback Machine https://chile.travel/en/intereses-destacados/national-parks-and-reserves/los-flamencos-national-reserve Archived 2020-03-18 at the Wayback Machine TRAVEL CHILE: LOS FLAMENCOS NATIONAL RESERVE Retrieved 29 November 2019
- ^ Earth Info, earth-info.nga.mil webpage: "GNS: Country Files". Archived from the original on 2012-05-04. Retrieved 2007-04-06..
- ^ a b Salar de Tara Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands.
- from the original on 2023-04-19. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ a b "Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos". CONAF. Archived from the original on 16 April 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- ^ a b "The Annotated Ramsar List: Chile". Ramsar. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- ^ "Miñiques". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
- ^ a b "MIT 2006 Alumni Trip to Chile". Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
- ^ San Pedro de Atacama: Queen of the Desert Archived 2012-07-27 at the Wayback Machine thisischile.cl August 02, 2011, retrieved August 11, 2013
- ^ Soncor Basin Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands.
- ^ Visitchile.com lagunas Miscanti Miniques data sheet Archived 2013-05-12 at the Wayback Machine www.visitchile.com retrieved June 07, 2013