Patagonia Park
Patagonia Park Argentina is the result of a collective dream of local communities, government institutions, and conservation organizations to develop a conservation model in which wildlife and people thrive by protecting, restoring, and experiencing the natural ecosystems that sustain them.
The vastness of this corner of Patagonia invites you to explore majestic landscapes shaped by glaciers and volcanoes. With its extensive network of trails, the Park is positioned as the new destination for hiking and wildlife watching.
Since 2011, organizations and institutions have been working together to restore the flora and wildlife to achieve a healthy and vibrant ecosystem. The vision is to form a large binational eco corridor & nature tourist destination alongside Patagonia Park in Chile, which shares a border with Argentina. Thereby transcending human borders in favor of the conservation of the natural and cultural values of Patagonia.
Fundación Rewilding Argentina, with the support of more organizations dedicated to nature conservation, continues to work to expand the protected area of Patagonia Park and restore its ecosystems through rewilding.
History of Patagonia Park
The residents of the town of Los Antiguos demanded the protection of the Lake Buenos Aires basin to prevent gold mining projects from prospering. At that time, the organizations Aves Argentinas and Ambiente Sur were conducting surveys about the hooded grebe, a bird endemic to the area, in the western plateaus of Santa Cruz, and were promoting the creation of a national park in one of those key areas to protect these species.
Technical teams from the National Parks Administration, with the support of the organizations Aves Argentinas, Ambiente Sur and Fundación Rewilding Argentina, designated public lands on the Lago Buenos Aires plateau that included important environments for the grebe.
Fundación Rewilding Argentina acquired and donated the El Sauco farm to protect one of the most important nesting sites for this endemic bird. The following year, the province of Santa Cruz ceded jurisdiction and ownership of land in favor of the National State and so, in 2014, the Patagonia National Park was created into law.
The arduous work of restoration and development of infrastructure began in Portal La Ascensión, which had previously been a cattle ranch. In December of 2017, the Foundation opened the portal for public use.
Fundación Rewilding Argentina donated the land for the creation of the La Ascensión National Wildlife Reserve to the National Parks Administration, offering free public access, with trails that access unique sites, such as Lake Buenos Aires and its plateau Name.
The Cañadón Pinturas Portal was inaugurated, with free public access, and more than 40 km of trails that allow for the discovery of landscapes and wildlife, as well as including renewed access to the Cueva de las Manos (Cave of the Hands) archaeological site, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
History of Patagonia Park
2007
The residents of the town of Los Antiguos demanded the protection of the Lake Buenos Aires basin to prevent gold mining projects from prospering. At that time, the organizations Aves Argentinas and Ambiente Sur were conducting surveys about the hooded grebe, a bird endemic to the area, in the western plateaus of Santa Cruz, and were promoting the creation of a national park in one of those key areas to protect these species.
2009
Technical teams from the National Parks Administration, with the support of the organizations Aves Argentinas, Ambiente Sur and Fundación Rewilding Argentina, designated public lands on the Lago Buenos Aires plateau that included important environments for the grebe.
2012-2014
Fundación Rewilding Argentina acquired and donated the El Sauco farm to protect one of the most important nesting sites for this endemic bird. The following year, the province of Santa Cruz ceded jurisdiction and ownership of land in favor of the National State and so, in 2014, the Patagonia National Park was created into law.
2017
The arduous work of restoration and development of infrastructure began in Portal La Ascensión, which had previously been a cattle ranch. In December of 2017, the Foundation opened the portal for public use.
2019
Fundación Rewilding Argentina donated the land for the creation of the La Ascensión National Wildlife Reserve to the National Parks Administration, offering free public access, with 40 km of trails that access unique sites, such as Lake Buenos Aires and its plateau Name.
2019
The Cañadón Pinturas Portal was inaugurated, with free public access, and more than 40 km of trails that allow for the discovery of landscapes and wildlife, as well as including renewed access to the Cueva de las Manos (Cave of the Hands) archaeological site, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Rewilding Patagonia
Rewilding is a strategy that restores the integrity of natural ecosystems so that they become complete and functional again. That means they contain populations of all the species that historically evolved there. In Patagonia Park Argentina, Fundación Rewilding Argentina team, with the support of the Freyja Foundation, works on the recovery of the key species of the ecosystem through monitoring and active wildlife management, the restoration of environments, the eradication of exotic species and the divulgation.
The Patagonian Steppe of Santa Cruz, protected in part by Patagonia Park, was not immune to the processes of extinction and population reduction observed throughout the rest of Argentina. The huemul and the huillín disappeared at the regional level, while the Wolffsohn’s viscacha, the coypu, and the austral rail suffered local extinction, decreasing their numbers and altering the connectivity between populations. Other species such as the puma, the guanaco, the lesser rhea, and the Andean condor—the greatest advocates of the terrestrial wildlife of Patagonia – have also suffered drastic reductions in their numbers.
As a result, key ecological processes, such as predation and migrations, have been altered with profound negative impacts on the ecosystem. In arid Patagonia, our goals include reintroducing species that are now absent and increasing the numbers of species that are present but decimated, with the ultimate goal of re-establishing the typical ecological processes of the steppe.
For more information: rewildingargentina.org
Economy of Nature
The economy of nature is a development model that offers sustainable opportunities to local people based on the conservation, recovery, and tourist positioning of the natural and cultural values of a region. This model takes on utmost relevance in Patagonia Park, where the appeal of the incredible wildlife is enhanced by the spectacular landscapes and deep-rooted culture within the area.
At Portal La Ascensión and Cañadón Pinturas, work is being done with the communities of Los Antiguos, Perito Moreno, and Lago Posadas on the development of fruitful enterprises associated with tourism and the public use of the park.
In the Cañadón Pinturas Portal, nature tourism experiences are offered around wildlife trekking, hiking, and environmental education that have resulted in neighboring communities actively participating in their natural and public areas.
Training of Nature Guides and Wildlife Watching
These training sessions have offered development opportunities to both men and women who wish to succeed in their community by investing in knowledge about wildlife. This enables new and important nature tourism experiences.
Some of these training sessions were carried out with the support of the Secretary of Tourism of the province of Santa Cruz, the Directorate of Tourism of Perito Moreno, and Los Antiguos.
For more information: parquepatagonia.arg@gmail.com
Exploradores Youth Outdoor Program
The Patagonia Argentina Park Explorers Program, created and funded by the Freyja Foundation and implemented by the Rewilding Argentina Foundation, aims at encouraging curiosity and educating local youth about the area where they live and its incredible biodiversity – taking advantage of the trails that run through diverse landscapes and the wildlife species that inhabit the area. It is aimed at boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 13 from the towns of Perito Moreno, Los Antiguos, Bajo Caracoles, and Lago Posadas, in Santa Cruz in the hope of connecting them with nature and fostering future conservationists.
For more information: Whatsapp +54 9 2975 92-5266 / Mail exploradores.parquepatagonia@gmail.com