Laguna Mar Chiquita

Laguna Mar Chiquita is a huge, permanent, saline lagoon up to 4 meters deep, with brackish marshes at the mouths of the rivers entering the lake.

Beginning in 1977, due to unusually wet and rainy years, the water level of the lagoon has increased above normal. Salt concentration has, in turn, decreased from the maximum normal level of 250grams/liter to just 80 g/l in 1977, and 28 g/l in 1987. The invertebrate Artemia salina decreased accordingly. Many mudflats used by shorebirds, and islands used by nesting gulls, were inundated.

Good censuses of shorebirds exist for the area, mostly due to the work of Manuel Nores of the Centro de Zoología Aplicada. Nores and Darío Yzurieta have conducted regular bird surveys in the area since 1973. The following numbers were reported in the “Directory of Neotropical Wetlands”:

Other maximum numbers according to Rodolfo Miatello are:

Austral species such as the Two Banded Plover nest here, and the Rufous-chested Dotterel spends the austral winter in the area (Bucher and Herrera 1981). The Collared Plover probably also nests there.

An additional 55 species of aquatic birds have been recorded in the lake (Bucher and Herrera 1981) with the Rio Segundo estuary as the richest, most diverse community. Flamingos are the most celebrated birds in the lake. At least 70,000 Chilean Flamingos have been censused and nest in the area and around 1,000 Andean Flamingos visit the lake during the winter months (Bucher, 1989). Black-necked Swans and Coscoroba Swans have been recorded for the lake, and also many species of ducks, three coots, and a population of 200,000 to 300,000 Brown-hooded Gulls.

Laguna Mar Chiquita is a Provincial Reserve, created by a decree of the Cordoba province. An interpretation center exists in Miramar, displaying the main biological features of the area. The center also contains facilities for housing researchers. One ranger is responsible for the control of the area. He has a car but no boat, so his ability to control the entire area is reduced. Sometimes additional ranger support is provided from the headquarters in Cordoba city.

A particularity of the boundaries of the reserve is that they change legally with the fluctuations of water levels. Reserve status exists all around the lake and 1 km inland from the current shore.

The Rio Primero goes through Cordoba City (pop. 1 million) where pollutants enter through mostly untreated effluents. Along the Río Segundo, different industries exist that also pump effluents into the river without treatment. A similar situation occurs with the Río Dulce along the Tucumán province (Bucher y Herrera, 1981). Despite the lack of published information, it is likely that some degree of contamination exists in this closed basin. Insecticides for the control of mosquitoes are used regularly along the southern coast of the lake (Bucher y Herrera, 1981).

Recently, some exploration for the possible exploitation of lithium has been conducted in the area (Bucher, pers. com.). Potential threats from possible use of lake water during dry years and possible hydroelectric exploitation could also affect the lake in the future. Water could be diverted for irrigation during dry years, and plans exist for engineering works to divert water from the Segundo and Dulce Rivers.

Management of the area has as its objective to establish a field station for monitoring, research, and conservation of shorebirds and wetlands. The field station organizes its own research and works to support the activities and needs of Cordoba province.

The main areas of action in the management of Mar Chiquita are: