Iberá Provincial Reserve
The Iberá Provincial Reserve (Spanish: Reserva Provincial Iberá, from Guaraní ý berá: "bright water") is a provincial protected area in the north-west of Corrientes Province, north-eastern Argentina. Established on 15 April 1983, it contains a mix of swamps, bogs, stagnant lakes, lagoons, natural sloughs and courses of water. With an area of about 1,300,000 ha (13,000 km2; 5,000 sq mi), the reserve spans a significant 14% of the Corrientes province, and is the largest protected area in the country.
| Iberá Provincial Reserve | |
|---|---|
| Reserva Provincial Iberá | |
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources) | |
Low aerial view of Iberá Provincial Reserve | |
Location within Argentina | |
| Location | Corrientes Province, Argentina |
| Nearest city | Concepción |
| Coordinates | 28°36′0″S 57°48′1″W |
| Area | 1,300,000 ha (13,000 km2; 5,000 sq mi) |
| Established | April 15, 1983 |
Ramsar Wetland | |
| Official name | Lagunas y Esteros del Iberá |
| Designated | 18 January 2002 |
| Reference no. | 1162 |
The reserve protects a portion of the Iberá Wetlands, a greater system of marshes of 1,500,000–2,000,000 ha (15,000–20,000 km2; 5,800–7,700 sq mi), and one of the most important fresh water reservoirs in the continent. In 2002 an area of 24,500 ha (245 km2; 95 sq mi) has been listed as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar convention.
The reserve contains both Iberá Provincial Park and Iberá National Park within its boundaries. The remaining area is mostly private cattle ranches.
Iberá Provincial Park was created in 2009 from public lands controlled by Corrientes Province, and covers an area of 5530 km2. It lies in the southwestern portion of the reserve.
Iberá National Park was created by an act of the Argentinian Congress on December 5, 2018. It lies in the center of the reserve, and covers an area 1,381.4 km2. park was created from former private cattle ranches acquired since 1999 by the Conservation Land Trust–Argentina, a private foundation established by the conservationists Doug and Kristine Tompkins. In 2015 the Conservation Land Trust donated the lands to the Argentine state to create the park.
The Conservation Land Trust removed most of the cattle from the lands they acquired, and stopped the practice of burning the land to increase cattle fodder. Managed fires have been used to encourage recovery of wild plants and animals, and interior fences were removed to allow wildlife to move freely. Conservation Land Trust is hoping to develop sustainable eco-tourism to support the local economy and build support for further conservation.