Ansenuza National Park and National Reserve Project (Argentina)

Photo credit: Gustavo Bruno

In June 2022, the Argentina Senate approved legislation formally establishing the more than 1.6 million acre  Ansenuza National Park and National Reserve in the Province of Córdoba. This park, which was championed from the beginning by Aves Argentinas, protects South America’s largest saline lake (the fifth largest saline lake in the world), Mar Chiquita, as well as the lake’s northern shore and the banks of the Rio Dulce River, the largest tributary of the lake. In 2018, the Wyss Foundation pledged $5,800,000 to acquire properties along the northern shore of the lake, to support initial infrastructure needs, and to help promote nature friendly tourism in the area.

This publicly-owned park protects an area that is critical to migrating birds, including three species of flamingos, and provides important habitat for the endangered maned wolf. The project, which was a joint initiative of the Province and the federal government, had overwhelming support from local municipalities as well. Now that the park has been established, the Wyss Foundation is working with Aves Argentinas to support the consolidation of the park, investing in infrastructure projects and local, sustainable, nature-based tourism and economic development.