Uspallata and Manantiales Natural Defense Reserves and National Parks (Argentina)

Manantiales Natural Defense Reserve | Photo credit: Edwin Harvey, Aves Argentinas

Two contiguous estancias make up the Uspallata and Manantiales Project Area: Uspallata in Mendoza Province and Manantiales in San Juan Province. This 1.48 million acre combined area is characterized by ecosystems that are currently under-protected in Argentina: the High Andes and the Argentine Monte. Home to glaciers, rivers, springs, and streams, protection of these areas is crucial for local and regional biodiversity. Some of the species found here exist nowhere else in Argentina, and the waters that flow from these areas are critically important to the agricultural economies of Mendoza and San Juan Provinces. The estancias are also home to irreplaceable cultural resources. Both properties are currently military installations used for high-altitude training by Argentina’s army. 

Estancia Uspallata, the historic name given to the land which will eventually make up the two new protected areas in Mendoza Province, is steeped in Argentine history and the glaciers covering the high mountain peaks of the property are critical sources of water that feed the province’s world renowned wine region. The Uspallata property lies immediately adjacent to the world famous Aconcagua, one of the world’s “Seven Summits,” and the crown jewel of Mendoza’s provincial park system. Uspallata contains remnants of the “Inca Trail,” a pathway used by the Incas that once snaked nearly 1,000 miles along the spine of the Argentine Andes, connecting disparate villages and trade centers. Estancia Uspallata played a starring role in the history of modern-day Argentina, serving as the staging ground for national hero San Martin’s “Army of the Andes” prior to their 1817 liberation of Chile from Spanish occupation.

Estancia Manantiales, the historic name given to the land which will eventually make up the two new protected areas in San Juan Province, shares many of the same attributes as its neighbor and includes Cerro Mercedario, one of the tallest mountains in the Andes. This area is also believed to contain a remnant population of the Andean cat, known as “the ghost of the Andes.” After leaving its staging ground in Uspallata, San Martin’s military column traveled through this area on its path to liberate Chile.

Argentina’s Department of Defense and the National Parks Administration entered into an agreement designating the properties as Natural Defense Reserves in November 2020. This was an important, interim step towards the permanent protection of these areas. The goal for Uspallata is to see that at least 100,000 acres of the 530,000 acre estancia is protected as a national park, which would be Mendoza Province’s first national park. The Wyss Foundation has committed to providing up to $1,300,000 to Natura Argentina to support the initial infrastructure, management, and tourism promotion costs associated with the creation of Uspallata National Park.

Originally, the Wyss Foundation’s partner for Manantiales, Aves Argentinas, was to protect much of Manantiales as a national park with a similar commitment from the Foundation as was made for Uspallata; however, the Province of San Juan wants the area to be protected as a provincial protected area instead. In October 2021, the Ministry of Defense and the Province of San Juan signed an agreement to establish an approximately 645,000 acre provincial protected area while maintaining Natural Defense Reserve status for the remaining 300,000 acres of the estancia.