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| Biosphere Reserve Information | ||||
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NACUÑÁN |
 © Photo: Laura M. Torres |
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| General Description | Ñacuñan is located in the Province of Mendoza in the plains at the foot of the Andes. The area consists of semi-arid upland grasslands , shrubby steppe and matorral, and shrubby and herbaceous woodlands, and wetlands 540 metres above sea level with three distinct geomorphological units. Mammals as the grey fox (Dusicyon griseus), ‘puma‘ (Felis concolor), and ‘guanaco’ (Lama guanicoe), birds such as rhea (Rhea americana), ‘martineta’ (Eudromia elegans) and reptiles such as tortoise (Geochelone chilensis), and Boa constrictor are found in the reserve.The forests of Prosopis flexuosa survived timber exploitation in the 1930s. However, timber and hunting still constitute the main threats that the Biosphere Reserve is facing today. A site of particular historic interest is ‘La Carbonera’ which contains relicts of Propopis wood transformation into charcoal and some pottery and metal utensils, left by the ancient human settlements. More than 80 inhabitants of the indigenous community live in the Ñacuñan village in the transition area (1999). Many activities such as education and public information, training courses, workshops and research activities have been carried out in the Biosphere Reserve, to the benefit of the local population. Management practices are oriented towards conservation, research and environmental education. Recent work in the Ñacuñan Biosphere Reserve concern the impact of seed-eating birds on soil-seed reserves in the Monte desert. | |||
| Major ecosystem type | Warm deserts and semi-deserts | |||
| Major habitats & land cover types | Shrubby steppe and matorral dominated by Prosopis flexuosa, Geoffroea decorticans, Larrea divaricata and L. cuneifolia; arboreal woodland with P. flexuosa; shrubby woodland dominated by L. divaricata, Atriplex lampa, Verbena aspera, Lycium chilensis, Atamisquea enarginata and Ephedra triandra; herbaceous woodland characterized by Pappophorum caespitosum, Digitaria californica, Setaria leucophila etc. | |||
| Location | 34°02'S; 67°54'W | |||
| Area (hectares) | ||||
| Total | 12,271 | |||
| Core area(s) | 3,255 | |||
| Buffer zone(s) | 2,298 | |||
| Transition area(s) when given | 6,718 | |||
| Altitude (metres above sea level) | +540 (average) | |||
| Year designated | 1986 | |||
| Administrative authorities | Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Aridas (IADIZA) | |||
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| Brief description |
Climate monitoring Biodiversity and perturbations Vegetation inventory, resulting in two maps from 1970 and 1999 Plant-animal interactions Bird ecology Habitat selection of micro-mammals Structure and dynamics of Prosopis flexuosa forest Ecology of desert communities Insect biodiversity Sustainable development in an arid zone community Mapping of the different zones of the biosphere reserve |
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| Specific variables... | ||||
| Abiotic | Climate, habitat, monitoring/methodologies. | |||
| Biodiversity | Arid/Semi-arid, biodiversity, birds, community studies/communities, ecology, fauna, forest systems, invertebrates/insects/spiders, mammals, perturbations/resilience/vulnerability, plants, population genetics/population dynamics, vegetation studies/plant cover. | |||
| Socio-economic | n.a. | |||
| Integrated monitoring | Mapping, planning and zoning measures/zonation, sustainable development/sustainable use. | |||
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| Contact address |
Silvia Claver Reserva de la Biosfera Ñacuñan Dr. A. Ruiz Leal s/n - Parque General San Martín - C.C. 507 5500 Mendoza Argentina |
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| Telephone | (54.261) 42 87 995 | |||
| Fax | (54.261) 42 80 080 | |||
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sclaver@mendoza-conicet.gov.ar |
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| Last updated: 3/7/2011 |
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