Why is Los Glaciares National Park a World Heritage Site?

Why is Los Glaciares National Park a World Heritage Site?

Los Glaciares National Park covers major glaciers and high altitude areas which are difficult to access. This natural protection and the protected area category imply a high level of permanent conservation at a relatively large scale.

What is Parque Nacional Los Glaciares known for?

Los Glaciares National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Los Glaciares) is a federal protected area in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. The park’s name refers to the giant ice cap in the Andes, the largest outside of Antarctica, Greenland and Iceland, feeding 47 large glaciers, of which 13 flow towards the Pacific Ocean.

What can you do in Los Glaciares National Park?

Things to do in Los Glaciares

• Don crampons and ice hike across the top of the famous Perito Moreno glacier.
• Explore the Fitz Roy massif and trek its imposing peaks.
• Marvel at Argentina’s largest lake.
• Swap tales with fellow explorers in the bustling hiker’s town of El Chalten.

When was Los Glaciares National Park established?

11 May 1937
Parque Nacional Los Glaciares/Established

Why is the Perito Moreno glacier famous?

Perito Moreno is perhaps the region’s most famous glacier because it periodically cuts off the major southern arm (known as Brazo Rico) of Lake Argentino. Because of this natural ice dam, meltwater from the south raises water levels in Brazo Rico by as much as 30 meters above the level of the water in Lago Argentino.

What animals live in Los Glaciares National Park?

Wildlife includes guanacos, chinchillas, pudu and guemal (two species of small deer), condors, and rheas. The park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.

How big is Parque Nacional Los Glaciares?

7 269 km²
Parque Nacional Los Glaciares/Area

How tall is Perito Moreno glacier?

6825 feet
The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the largest in Patagonia at 30 kilometers long. The glacier descends from the Southern Patagonian Icefield (image top)—2100 meters elevation (6825 feet) in the Andes Mountains—down into the water and warmer altitudes of Lago Argentino at 180 meters above sea level.

How tall is Perito Moreno Glacier?

What wild animals live in Calafate Argentina?

The area is home to fauna from the sub-Antarctic steppe and woods, with over 100 species of birds inhabiting the forest and steppe. These include: lesser rhea, Andean condor, torrent duck, white-throated caracara, yellow-bridled and black throated finch.

Los Glaciares National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site displaying an excellent example of Magellanic subpolar forest as well as featuring the Patagonian steppe biodiversity. The arid Patagonian steppe is created from the barrier of the Andes mountains which prevent moisture from the Pacific Ocean reaching the other side of the range.

Are there any glaciers left in Glacier National Park?

More recent research led by the World Heritage Programme forecast 21 st century glacier fate across United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage sites. This physical modeling predicts near total Glacier National Park glacier disappearance by 2100.

How tall are the glaciers in Los Glaciares?

Los Glaciares National Park. In other parts of the world, glaciers start at a height of at least 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above mean sea level, but due to the size of the ice cap, these glaciers begin at only 1,500 m (4,900 ft), sliding down to 200 m (660 ft). Los Glaciares borders Torres del Paine National Park to the south in Chilean territory.

Where is Los Glaciares National Park in Chile?

Los Glaciares is situated in the Southern Andes, which are shared with neighbouring Chile. The World Heritage property is adjacent to the two national parks of Torres del Paine and Bernardo O’Higgins on the Chilean side, effectively forming a contiguous protected areas complex of impressive scale stretching across the border.