The Salar del Huasco (Huasco Salt Flat) has been integrated into the National System of State-Protected Wildlife Areas (SNASPE) after several years of negotiations. The system is administered by the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), a service that is part of the Agriculture Ministry. Chile is thus moving forward in its commitment to continue integrating ecosystems of national importance into official protection mechanisms.
The new Salar del Huasco National Park is situated in the municipality of Pica, and has an extension of 110,049 hectares (271,937 acres). The salt flat is located between two mountains that exceed 4,500 meters and has formations typical of high Andean ecosystems.
"It is an important milestone for biodiversity conservation, as well as an important sign that this government is taking an ecological approach and is concerned about the conservation and protection of ecosystems,” Natalia Ortega, regional director of CONAF Tarapacá.
The park has been created to protect and contribute to the conservation of flora and fauna species characteristic of the salt flat, especially those classified as threatened. CONAF will thus begin implementing actions to safeguard evolving processes and present biodiversity using a participative management model.
An area of enormous value
Natalia Ortega, regional director of CONAF Tarapacá, explained that this new park will become unit number 107 of SNASPE. “It is an important milestone for biodiversity conservation, as well as an important sign that this government is taking an ecological approach and is concerned about the conservation and protection of ecosystems,” she continued.
The area is particularly attractive due to the presence of aquatic birds around Huasco Lake, among them the Chilean, Andean and James’s flamingos, as well as the Andean goose, the Andean gull, Darwin’s rhea and various duck species. It is also possible to observe various mammals, among them the vicuña, the Andean fox and the tuco-tuco (Ctenomyidae).
There are also important sites of archaeological value and ethnocultural elements in the territory, such as the Charcollo and Apechas hills, pertaining to the Aymara worldview.
The creation of the park will include a human development component alongside the integration of environmental conservation initiatives. In this regard, the director of CONAF stated, “along a long process in which the vision of the indigenous communities from the territory was considered, their opinion has been taken into account and we hope to work together for the well-being of the communities associated with this new park and its biodiversity.”
The other protected wildlife areas that are administered by CONAF in Tarapacá are the Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve and the Volcán Isluga National Park.