The Los Andes Reserve in Salta faces abandonment as lithium mining grows, putting its rich biodiversity at risk. This is a clear example of the conflict between nature conservation and the exploitation of mineral resources.
Despite the approval of a management plan, the lack of implementation and increasing mining activity threaten a crucial ecosystem for biodiversity and water balance.
The largest protected area in Salta lacks effective management, leaving the door open for lithium extraction to advance in a delicate environment.
Despite its importance, the Los Andes Reserve, which covers most of the protected areas in Salta, remains without an effective management framework.
Although a plan was officially approved, it has yet to be implemented, despite previous scientific collaboration.
The lack of management is reflected in the insufficiency of personnel and resources. A single park ranger, without the necessary support, monitors an area of more than 14,000 square kilometers, an area larger than several small countries.
Los Andes Reserve threatened by lithium mining
The Los Andes Wildlife Reserve, located in northwest Argentina, is a unique ecosystem where salt flats, lagoons, and streams act as oases in the desert.
These ecosystems depend on an extremely fragile water balance, as water is a vital resource for both biodiversity and local communities.
Lithium mining, which consumes large amounts of water, represents a direct threat to this balance, especially in a region where the lagoons are smaller and more vulnerable than in other nearby mining areas.
Despite its importance, the reserve — which constitutes 80% of the protected surface of the province of Salta — lacks an operational management plan.
The document, developed between 2017 and 2018 with the participation of scientific experts, was approved but never implemented, remaining unexecuted.
This lack of management is evidenced by the scarcity of resources: only one park ranger without sufficient equipment supervises an area larger than countries like Lebanon or Montenegro.
The reserve is home to emblematic species such as Andean flamingos, vicuñas, and endemic birds, many of them threatened.
Experts point out that mining activity is affecting these populations. In some salt flats, flamingo colonies have significantly decreased, dropping from hundreds of nests to just a dozen.
Moreover, the human pressure associated with mining generates indirect effects, such as the presence of waste and opportunistic predators, worsening the situation of vulnerable species.
The salt flats act as closed endorheic basins where any alteration has cumulative effects.
These ecosystems are climate regulators and carbon sinks, supporting complex biological chains, from microorganisms to birds and mammals.
Altering their water balance can cause irreversible impacts, not only locally but also on the entire environmental system.
The management plan included measures such as territory zoning, with areas of strict conservation, limited use, and controlled exploitation.
It also contemplated improvements for local communities, such as access to water, alternative energies, and support for sustainable livestock production.
Despite having international funding, the project was never executed, leaving the reserve without effective protection.
The plan was partly funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as part of a sustainable development program.
An investment of more than 4 million dollars was expected to carry out about 60 actions over five years, many of which were aimed at improving environmental management and local well-being.
However, despite having allocated resources, the authorities did not advance in its implementation, generating criticism about public management.
Lithium is a strategic resource for the global energy transition, which has intensified its exploitation in regions like Salta.
Nevertheless, experts warn that this model can generate socio-environmental conflicts, especially when carried out in sensitive areas without proper planning.
The situation of the Los Andes Reserve reflects the challenge of balancing the demand for critical minerals with the protection of key ecosystems and local communities.
The site hosts emblematic fauna such as Andean flamingos, vicuñas, and unique bird species, many of them endangered. Specialists warn that mining activity is already affecting biodiversity, with a drastic reduction of breeding colonies in some salt flats.
Human pressure linked to extraction also causes indirect damage, such as waste accumulation and the proliferation of opportunistic predators, further endangering species already struggling to survive in a changing environment.
