Patagonia National Park, in the Santa Cruz steppe, was created yesterday (photo: APN)
Congress passed a bill yesterday creating Argentina’s newest national park in the southern province of Santa Cruz.
Patagonia National Park will be located in the north-west of Santa Cruz, in the Lago Argentino Plateau, just south of the towns of Los Antiguos and Perito Moreno.
The area is an important cultural and natural heritage site. A volcanic steppe, the Lago Argentino Plateau is home to a great variety of plant and animal species, and it is one of the few places where the Macá Tobiano —a bird native to Santa Cruz— can still be seen.
The plateau was also a significant site for the peoples that have lived in the area for thousands of years, as can been seen in the many remaining rock carvings. Today, it holds an important water reserve which serves nearby residents.
The president of the National Parks Administration (APN), Carlos Corvalán, said of the newly created park: “It is excellent news for those of us who work as conservation agents at the national state to finish the year with the creation of the Patagonia National Park. Just over a month ago the National Congress passed the law which created the El Impenetrable National Park, and today we’re adding a new protected area in Argentina. It is a lesson for all of us: the result of the joint and constant work of multiple actors, who set a common goal, beyond their particular interests.”
The bill, which was put forward by the APN and local NGOs, was approved unanimously in both the Senate and the Lower House.
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