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Argentina's renewable and non-renewable natural resources are so important that, according to a study by the FARN (Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales) from 2022[1], approximately a third of the goods and services produced in the country depend on them.
To make correct use of them and start a territorial and economic management that is committed to sustainability, it is essential to know what are the natural resources of Argentina, what is its current state, its quality and its availability. In order to acquire some of this knowledge, you will only have to read the information provided in this Green Ecologist article through several examples of natural resources in Argentina, based on the World Bank's natural wealth criteria, which include energy, minerals, agricultural lands, forests and protected areas.
Abundance of agricultural and livestock land
This is the main resource that characterizes the natural wealth of Argentina and, therefore, is one of the Argentina's most important natural resources. Traditionally, large areas of pasture have shaped the landscapes and economic activity of this country. Unlike the recession that characterizes the primary sector in many other countries, currently in Argentina agriculture and livestock continue to be the main engine of society.
The introduction of soybeans in the mid-1990s and its exponential growth have modified the Argentine agrarian structure, with this crop constituting more than half of the agricultural surface. The genetic modification of these seeds and the use of glyphosate as a herbicide give rise to potential adverse environmental and human health effects.
Faced with an increase in agricultural production lands and monocultures in Argentina, as a measure to alleviate and stop the loss of biodiversity (here you can learn about the Flora and fauna of Argentina and the Animals in danger of extinction in Argentina) and the deterioration of edaphic resources, has opted for the establishment of cultivation borders as a conservation strategy.
Oil and minerals
The large number of raw materials in Argentina has favored, since the beginning of the last century, a growing trend in exploitation of hydrocarbon reserves (oil and gas) and minerals (iron, coal, copper, sulfur and gold). In fact, such is the rate of extraction that we speak of large-scale mining or mega mining, which stands out mainly in open pit metal extraction.
As a consequence of the overexploitation of these Argentine non-renewable natural resources a high social and environmental impact takes place and, despite the general rejection that citizens show in the face of such conditions, mega-mining today only has restrictions and / or prohibitions in seven of the 23 Argentine provinces.
We encourage you to inform yourself about the environmental problems of Argentina by visiting this other article.
Forest resources
To continue with more examples of natural resources from Argentina, we stop to explain forest resources. The forest resources present in NE Argentina, characterized mainly by forests, are widely exploited and are heavily subjected to deforestation. Changes in land use for agriculture, the burning of vegetation and logging for wood, constitute the main threats to forest resources.
As a strategy to preserve the native plant species of Argentina, forest crops are established, consisting mainly of foreign commercial species (conifers, eucalyptus and salicaceae); which allows maintaining the forest extractive economic activity and also the forest resources of the area. In addition, the substitution of native woods contributes to carbon fixation, the recovery of degraded soils and the purification of water resources, indirectly favoring agricultural activities.
You can learn more about this topic in this other article about Deforestation in Argentina: causes and consequences, to better understand the risk that Argentine forest resources run if they are not managed better.
Protected areas
Argentina has an important network of protected areas in order to preserve the mosaic of climates and landscapes that it possesses. Of the 49 protected areas in Argentina, 46 are terrestrial and 3 are marine.
In 1922 the first protected area was established, the South National Park, which today is known as Nahuel Huapi National Park. This protected natural area in Patagonia is one of the largest. However, Los Glaciares National Park, located in the Santa Cruz province and characterized by the presence of continental and glacial ice that shape the southern Andean-Patagonian forest, exceeds it in extension, coming to be considered the protected area with the largest surface in Argentina .
Here you can learn about the importance of nature reserves and protected areas. We also recommend you to know the Ecoregions of Argentina with this other summary.
Renewable natural resources
We finished commenting on the main natural resources of Argentina focusing on renewable natural resources. In order to replace the exploitation and dependence on non-renewable resources, in Argentina, during the last decades it has made its way to wind projects. The southern mountainous and coastal areas of Buenos Aires are places with high wind potential, where they stand out wind farms like that of Mayor Buratovich and Tandil.
Too Solar energy it has grown in importance in recent years. Since 2010, with the support of national policies, the installations of photovoltaic plants have increased. In Buenos Aires, the Provincial Program of Incentives for the Generation of Distributed Energy (PROINGED) stands out, which promotes electricity generation, of renewable origin, through small energy sources close to consumption areas.
Despite their importance, solar energy and wind energy have a nascent development. Above these energy sources, in the context of renewables, it stands out hydroelectric production, which produces 30% of the total electricity in the country.
If you want to read more articles similar to Natural resources in Argentina, we recommend that you enter our category of Other environment.
References- Di Paola, M. M. Director of Research (FARN). (2022). Environment and Natural Resources Foundation. The curse of natural resources: how are we doing at home ?: https://farn.org.ar/iafonline2019/articulos/la-maldicion-de-los-recursos-naturales-por-casa-como-andamos/
