Bucher, Enrique H.

Curto, Erio D.

English

DigitalCommons@USU

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues Volume 15 Saline Lakes Around the World: Unique Systems with Unique Values Article 24 2009 Managing salt lakes in the Neotropics: Challenges and alternatives the case of Mar Chiquita, Argentina Enrique H. Bucher Centro de Zoologia Aplicada, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Agrentina Erio D. Curto Centro de Zoologia Aplicada, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Agrentina Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/nrei Recommended Citation Bucher, Enrique H. and Curto, Erio D. (2009) "Managing salt lakes in the Neotropics: Challenges and alternatives the case of Mar Chiquita, Argentina," Natural Resources and Environmental Issues: Vol. 15 , Article 24. Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/nrei/vol15/iss1/24 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Natural Resources and Environmental Issues by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@usu.edu. Managing Salt Lakes in the Neotropics: Challenges and Alternatives The Case of Mar Chiquita, Argentina  Enrique H. Bucher1 & Erio D. Curto1 1Centro de Zoología Aplicada, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina Corrisponding author: Enrique H. Bucher Centro do Zoologia Aplicada, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, PO Box 122, Córdoba 5000, Argentina E-mail: buchereh@uolsinectis.com.ar   The Bañados del Rio Dulce and Laguna Mar Chiquita Ramsar site (Córdoba province, central Argentina) includes a large, terminal salt lake (present area = 5000 km2) and its associated grasslands and wetlands. The area is very rich in biodiversity, particularly migratory shorebirds and three species of flamingos. Climate change has altered the region dramatically. Between 1970 and 2000 the rainfall regime in the Mar Chiquita basin increased by about 30%, which resulted in a 9 m increase in the lake’s water level, together with a substantial decrease in water salinity, from 23% to 2.7% (Figure 1). Lower salinity levels allowed the Argentine silverside, or pejerrey (Odontesthes bonariensis) to expand into the lake in the early 1980s, becoming an important economic resource. Although the lake is still largely pristine, the region is becoming increasingly threatened by man-induced environmental problems. Main negative factors include: a) water appropriation in the upper tributary rivers, b) increasing water pollution, and c) unregulated sport hunting, including international bird-hunting tourism. Water appropriation is driven mostly by agriculture expansion and urban growth along the three main Mar Chiquita tributaries. A decrease in water availability and new projected dams in the upper tributaries may result in changes in the annual flooding and fire regime, which in turn may have profound effects on the grasslands and wetlands that surround the lake. Water pollution originates mostly from urban and agricultural sources. Lead pollution is also a growing problem because of increased hunting pressure from international waterfowl hunting tourism. Unfortunately, lead ammunition is still allowed in wetlands under the present Argentine legislation. An integrated, long-term management plan for the area is an urgent need. Management priorities include a) water-use policies in the tributaries’ river basin that ensure adequate water supply to the system, including safeguarding of the annual flooding pulse, b) control of nonpoint source agricultural pollution, c) banning lead ammunition use, and d) sustainable urban planning and development. The University of Cordoba, through the PROMAR initiative, is promoting development and implementation of a management plan for the site, following Ramsar guidelines and criteria. As a first step, a comprehensive baseline study has been published recently [Bucher, E.H., ed. 2006. Laguna Mar Chiquita y Bañados del río Dulce (Córdoba, Argentina). Academia Nacional de Ciencias, Córdoba].    Figure 1–Mar Chiquita water level (line) and average annual rainfall for each decade in the lake’s basin in 1967–1997. 1351Bucher and Curto: Managing salt lakes in the NeotropicsPublished by DigitalCommons@USU, 2009

Managing salt lakes in the Neotropics: Challenges and alternatives the case of Mar Chiquita, Argentina

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Managing salt lakes in the Neotropics: Challenges and alternatives the case of Mar Chiquita, Argentina

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