Mapping of areas to regenerate

Introduction

The Campo de Mayo urban defense reserve is a protected area developed on military lands located in the province of Buenos Aires, 30 km from the center of the city of the same name, in central-eastern Argentina. It is administered by the Ministry of Defense "Ministry of Defense (Argentina)").

General characteristics and history

The protected area is located at the coordinates: . It is located mainly in sectors corresponding jurisdictionally to the Buenos Aires districts of San Miguel and Tigre, with small portions of the southwestern end of Tres de Febrero and the northern end of Hurlingham. Its surface covers 1,320 hectares,[1] being a smaller part of the 8,000 hectares belonging to Campo de Mayo, a military area where the largest garrisons in the country are located and one of the main bases of the Argentine Army, to which it has belonged since 1901. The reserve does not include the entire military complex of 4,200 hectares, since the areas of intensive military use were excepted, as were the built areas, forming an extensive enclave excluded within of the reserve.[2] Although it is surrounded by completely urbanized areas of the urban conglomerate of Greater Buenos Aires, its military character for more than a century has allowed wild sectors to still be maintained.

The legal figure to establish it was that of defense natural reserve, a category established in Argentina to grant environmental protection to areas that are property of the armed forces of that country and that maintain a reasonably good state of conservation.[3][4].

It is planned to regenerate the original ecosystems, reforest sectors with native trees, develop the appropriate infrastructure for the management of a protected area and finally open it to the public, so that visitors can enjoy contact with wild nature very close to the city. An expropriation law is not necessary but rather a jurisdictional transfer in favor of the national state by the Buenos Aires state or, otherwise, that the State Property Administration Agency (AABE) changes the assignment of its use, in order to convert it into a nature reserve. It will be sought that of the 8,000 hectares that Campo de Mayo has, at least 5,000 hectares will be a conservation area, with the Argentine Army being able to maintain the right to carry out military maneuvers and exercises on part of the conserved surface.[5].

The announcement of its creation was announced by the president of that republic, Eng. Mauricio Macri, during the opening of the 136th period of ordinary sessions of the National Congress.[6][7].

Mapping of areas to regenerate

Introduction

General characteristics and history

Biological heritage

Ecoregionally, its emerged surface belongs to three terrestrial ecoregions that are seriously threatened by anthropogenic destruction, whether by converting its soils into agricultural fields or pastures, by growing urbanization, by extinction of its emblematic species, by invasion of exotic species, etc.[11] Most of its surface was originally covered with grasslands, which are included in the humid pampas ecoregion; Sectors of ravines of the Reconquista River are assigned to that of the spinal. There a forest ecosystem that is on the verge of disappearing relictally survives there: the felling "Talar (ecosystem)"). Finally, the edge of the same river course and its riverine shoals are typical of the delta and islands of the Paraná River.[12].

The waters of the Reconquista River, and the lagoons and marshes of its flood valley, are inserted in the lower Paraná freshwater ecoregion.[13].

On the banks of the Reconquista River there are vines, hygrophilous shrubs and some ceibos and creole willows, that is, vegetation that constitutes a penetration into the interior of the province of the Paraná delta itself, a sketch of the southernmost subtropical forest in America, the so-called white mountain "White mountain (ecosystem)"), belonging to the phytogeographic district of the mixed forests of the phytogeographic province paranaense.[14].

In the ravine of this river, cina-cinas are still preserved along with talas, ombúes and espinillos, trees belonging to the phytogeographic subdistrict of tala of the phytogeographic district of algarrobo, corresponding to the phytogeographic province of spinal.[15][16][17]

In the open areas, the remains of the Pampas grassland are present, belonging to the Eastern Pampas phytogeographic district, corresponding to the Pampas phytogeographic province. Herbaceous plants dominate there, especially grasses. The characteristic community is called flechillar; It is altered by livestock farming, and mostly completely destroyed by agriculture, so this reserve could be a stronghold for its conservation.[11].

Biological heritage

The waters of the Reconquista River, and the lagoons and marshes of its flood valley, are inserted in the lower Paraná freshwater ecoregion.[13].

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Mapping of areas to regenerate

Introduction

General characteristics and history

Mapping of areas to regenerate

Introduction

General characteristics and history

Biological heritage

References

Biological heritage

References