INITIAL DRAFTINITIAL DRAFTINITIAL DRAFTINITIAL DRAFT

Area Silvestre Area Silvestre Area Silvestre Area Silvestre Sierra de FamatinaSierra de FamatinaSierra de FamatinaSierra de Famatina totototo Ojos Del Salado and BeyondOjos Del Salado and BeyondOjos Del Salado and BeyondOjos Del Salado and Beyond

Pacific Biodiversity InstitutePacific Biodiversity InstitutePacific Biodiversity InstitutePacific Biodiversity Institute

Area Silvestre Sierra de Famatina toArea Silvestre Sierra de Famatina toArea Silvestre Sierra de Famatina toArea Silvestre Sierra de Famatina to Ojos Del Salado and BeyondOjos Del Salado and BeyondOjos Del Salado and BeyondOjos Del Salado and Beyond

Peter Morrison

pm@pacificbio.org

and

George Wooten gerogewooten@pacificbio.org

Pacific Biodiversity Institute P.O. Box 298

Winthrop, Washington 98862 509-996-2490

January 2012

Recommended Citation Morrison, P.H, and G. Wooten. 2012. Area Silvestre Sierra de Famatina to Ojos Del Salado and

Beyond. Pacific Biodiversity Institute, Winthrop, Washington. 44 p.

Acknowledgements Bruce Morrison, Karen Jacobsen, Emily Owen, Nick Engelmann and Aileen Jeffries participated as volunteers in expeditions that explored the periphery of this area in 2008 and 2011. The photographs in this report were taken by Peter Morrison, Bruce Morrison, Karen Jacobsen, Nick Engelmann, Emily Owen, George Wooten and Aileen Jeffries.

Project Funding This project was supported by volunteers who contributed their time and received some financial support from the Pacific Biodiversity Institute Special Projects Fund.

Introduction This is an initial report, a “work-in-progress” that partially describes an enormous roadless area that extends from the southern end of the Sierra de Famatina in Argentina northwest into the Central Chilean Andes and beyond. This Área Silvestre is nearly 2.7 million hectares in size, without roads and developments. It begins at the edge of Chilecito in central, western Argentina and extends northwest to the edge of the Salar de Marichunga in Chile, west of Cerro Tres Cruces and Ojos del Salado on the Argentine/Chilean border. The area includes the second, third and fourth highest peaks in the western hemisphere, Nevado Ojos del Salado “snow-white eyes of the salt plains”, the highest volcano in the world (6893 m), Monte Pissis (6795 m) and Nevado Tres Cruces (6749 m). There are 15 other summits throughout the area over 6000-m elevation. While much of the area is high, the wildland boundary extends down to about 1000-m near Chilecito. Here, the Chaco forests find one of their southern-most expressions. The mountains have snow year-round and provide water to the lush desert valleys at their base. Diverse human communities, sustained by centuries-old agricultural traditions, flourish in these valleys. Although this is generally an arid area, there is great ecological diversity in this area. The conservation value of this area is tremendous, however only small parts of the area are officially protected. The conservation value of the area is greatly enhanced by the fact that this area immediately adjacent to two other immense roadless areas; separated from them by narrow dirt roads that are impassable much of the year.

Sierra de Famatina with summer snow - viewed from the Valle de Famatina – February 2008

Background and General Overview Pacific Biodiversity Institute has an initiative underway to study the wildlands in South America, their biodiversity and the conservation opportunities that they present. This report is part of that initiative and describes one of the large Areas Silvestre that begins in central Argentina and extends over the Andes into Chile. A web map of the entire area can be viewed and explore at this website: http://www.pacificbio.org/webmaps/Famatina_Ojos_del_Salado.html This enormous wildland area contains over 2,681,000 hectares of roadless, undeveloped land and extends from the southern end of Argentina’s Sierra de Famatina northwest to Ojos del Salado on the Argentina/Chile border into the Central Chilean Andes and beyond into Chile. Maps 1 and 2 illustrate the extent of the Area Silvestre and the roads and populated places around and within the Area Silvestre. Map 2 includes an overlay of the existing protected areas (from the World Conservation Monitoring Center (WCMC) world database of protected areas (WDPA)), illustrating the fact that most of the area has no governmental protection. It should be noted that while there are “populated places” that are shown within the Area Silvestre that are not connected to the outside via a roads; these places do not contain a significant human population. Nomadic herders may inhabit some of these places temporarily, but few of these places have any permanent human habitation. Likewise, some dirt roads penetrate some distance in to the Area Silvestre, but these roads do not bisect it. Many of the dirt roads that surround or penetrate in some distance are not passable by normal clearance 2WD vehicles and are often not easily passable by high clearance 4WD vehicles.

Map 1. General location, topography, roads and populated places of the Area Silvestre Sierra de Famatina to Ojos del Salado and Beyond.

Map 2. Satellite image, protected areas, roads and populated places of the Area Silvestre Sierra de Famatina to Ojos del Salado and Beyond.

Methods Our study of this Area Silvestre involves a multi-step process combining acquisition of

existing data, initial spatial analysis of that data, refinement of the results of that analysis

using remote sensing and interpretation of satellite imagery and on-the-ground

verification and additional data collection. These steps are briefly outlined below:

• Acquisition of existing data on roads, developments, land use from all available

data sources.

• Initial review of data and determination of extent of data gaps.

• Attempts to fill data gaps through collaboration with partners and further research.

• Assembly of data layers for the transportation system and for development

infrastructure in preparation for roadless area analysis.

• Implementation of a spatial analysis process within ESRI’s ArcGIS to determine

boundaries of roadless areas that meet specified parameters using automated GIS

models.

• The initial roadless area polygons are converted into Google Earth compatible KMZ

files, which can then be viewed and overlaid in the Google Earth environment.

• The trained staff and volunteers review all wildland polygons for additional roads

and other development impacts using the high resolution imagery present in

Google Earth and assemble datasets of revisions to the initial wildland polygons.

• The GIS model is rerun incorporating these revisions and new wildland polygons are

generated.

• We then conduct a series of on-the-ground expeditions to explore the boundaries

and interior of the roadless areas, verify the mapping and gather data about their

characteristics.

• We also collect, assemble and analyze a suite of landscape-level variables that can

be analyzed and used to describe the characteristics of the roadless area. This

data and the subsequent analysis are useful in predicting biodiversity and

conservation values. These data include: distribution of major biomes and

ecosystems, existing vegetation and land use, topography, distribution and

abundance of plant an animal species, human population density, night sky

luminance (an indicator of overall human influence), existing protected area status,

and land ownership, status of indigenous peoples in the wildland area and vicinity,

and other factors.

• We also analyze the landscape surrounding each roadless area to determine the

landscape context of the area and opportunities for connectivity. Some wildland

areas are surrounded by other wildlands; others are surrounded by agricultural

areas, while others may have urban areas on some of their borders. The landscape

context may have considerable influence of conservation issues and opportunities

within each area. The landscape context also determines opportunities for

connectivity between areas.

• We provide the results of our roadless area mapping using a Google Map interface

on our website.

This maps included in this report should be considered an initial first approximation of the roadless area and its internal characteristics. The accuracy of the roadless area boundaries is entirely dependent on the road data used. We are aware of significant inaccuracy and incompleteness of this road data and have tried to fix some of these problems through the review and editing process described above. However, this roadless area is immense and

our studies of the area are not yet complete. We are actively seeking additional information about roads, developments, land uses, human activities, and biodiversity values with and surrounding this area. In the desert regions of Argentina and Chile, it is possible to drive 4WD vehicles across the desert flats and over many mountain slopes without roads being present. As soon as the vehicles drive across the desert, they often leave tracks, sometimes very obvious tracks in the dusty, salt-covered sandy soils (photo below). Later, the wind may cover the tracks and leave them largely invisible (see tracks on left side of photo).

Jeep tracks in the salt covered sand along a bottomland flat immediately north of Volcan Antofalla. Photo by drmxadaro , photo title: Caminos de la Puna - Catamarca - Argentina

General Description of Area Silvestre This area is vast, therefore we split it into four zones for the purpose of discussion in this report. These areas are described in more detail in a set of appendices to this report:

1. Sierra de Famatina along the eastern border (Appendix 2) 2. Monte Pissis, Cerro Bonete, Crater Corona del Inca, Salina de Laguna Verde

(Appendix 3) 3. The Crest of the Andes Mountains between Argentina and Chile - from Cerro Tres

Cruces to Paso San Francisco, including Nevado Ojos del Salado and the salars to the west in Atacama Desert of Chile (Appendix 4)

4. The central cordillera, Sierra del Toro Negro, Rio Jague and Rio de la Tamberia (Appendix 5)

Our PBI reconnaissance team traveled through the puna on a paved highway from Fiambala to the Las Grutas customs station all set in a backdrop of otherworldly mountains and clear blue sky. At the 4,047 meter high pass we had a commanding view of 6,016-foot-tall volcano, Nevado San Francisco. At this elevation, lack of oxygen can affect one with dizziness, confusion and headaches, although after a few days it is possible to become acclimated. Along the way, our group was fortunate to see both guanacos and large numbers of vicunas. The vicunas range extended to higher elevations. Wild burros were also common here, as well as a few cows, at least as high as 3,000 meters elevation. There were also Andean condors, Andean flamingos, frogs, and an amazing diversity of plants. However there were only a few lichens, probably due to the severe wind abrasion. Wetlands (called vegas) are common along this road, but they only occupy a small part of the landscape in the valley bottoms. Many of the wetlands are salty or alkaline or completely dry, as evidenced by white rings around their margins. A large wetland complex is next to a new hotel and museum well past the last habitable dwellings.

Scenes of the puna ecosystem near the Andes crest.

Vegetation and Ecology This Area Silvestre contains multiple vegetation zones. These zones have been described and mapped in various ways by various authors. WWF in their Terrestrial Ecosystems map shows 3 general ecosystems covering the area in about equal proportion: The northwestern part is covered by the Southern Andean Steppe ecosystem. The central part is covered by the Central Andean Puna ecosystem and the southeastern part is covered by the High Monte ecosystem (Map 3.)

Map 3. WWF Terrestial Ecosystems of the Area Silvestre Sierra de Famatina to Ojos del Salado and Beyond.

Map 4. TNC LAC divisions of the Area Silvestre Sierra de Famatina to Ojos del Salado and Beyond.

Map 5. General land cover at 1-km resolution of the Area Silvestre Sierra de Famatina to Ojos del Salado and Beyond.

NatureServe and the Nature Conservancy have also mapped three general vegetation zones in this area. Most of the Area Silvestre is covered by the South Central Dry Andes. Small portions are covered by the Patagonia and Chaco vegetation zones (Map 4). A continental map of land cover at 1-km resolution shows most of the area covered by Open Shrubland, and a sizeable portion covered with Woodland, Wooded Grassland and Closed Shrubland. Bare Ground (including rock) and Grassland each make up about 3% of the area (Map 5 and Table 1). Table 1. Land cover types in this Area Silvestre Land Cover Code % of area

Open Shrubland 67.38%

Woodland 12.39%

Wooded Grassland 8.64%

Closed Shrubland 5.45%

Bare Ground 3.11%

Grassland 2.78%

Water (and Goode's interrupted space) 0.16%

Deciduous Broadleaf Forest 0.06%

Evergreen Broadleaf Foreset 0.03%

Evergreen Needleleaf Forest 0.00%

The western part of this Area Silvestre is part of the puna ecosystem described in the Terrestrial Ecosystems of South America map by World Wildlife Fund (http://www.worldwildlife.org/science/data/item6373.html). The puna ecosystem of the central Andes contains mountain ranges, valleys and salt playas in the widest part of the Andes. Climates are dry, cool, windy and sunny, with snowstorms occurring during the rainy season between December and March. Soils are gravelly sands in the valley bottoms and igneous bedrock from many different stocks. Vegetation is dominated by sparse spiny shrubs and dwarf shrubs. The puna can be segregated by geology, climate, topography or other factors. High volcanoes, both active and inactive, dot the uplifted mountains. The plants of the puna are very strange looking. Almost all of them have tiny leaves and many variations of thorns, spines or prickles. Perennial plants of the pea family were the most common plant family seen. Annuals were uncommon. A common bunchgrass of streamsides was extremely prickly, with fragile awns that would break off under the skin if touched.

Plants of the puna. (Top left) ancient gnarled shrub in the pea family; (middle right) bunchgrasses trimmed by wind shear; (bottom left) small pea family shrub with millimeter long leaves and 30 mm long spines; (bottom right) streamside bunchgrass with spiny awns. During our spring 2011 reconnaissance we traveled along the northern edge of the of the Sierra de Famatina Wildland, starting from Fiambala. Most of the rock types appeared to be depositional rocks. The eastern edge of the Sierras de Famatina are famous for their multi-colored rock cliffs. As we gained elevation, vegas (mountain meadows) started to become more common. Around 3,000 meters we visited a large wetland complex beside a new hotel and museum. This wetland marked a change from the more dissected mountains below, to an area of broad playas dominated by the Andes crest and the puna ecosystem. The Sierra de Famatina is covered by a complex ecosystem grouped collectively under the name “High Monte” (Monte de Sierras y Bolsones). The High Monte is characterized by shrub/cactus vegetation on lower slopes and intermountain valleys with low precipitation. At higher elevations the High Monte grades into the puna. The High Monte ecosystem contains a varied topography supporting many different vegetation types, from flat, sandy plains and dunes, to rocky mountains.

Scenes of the northern cordilleran region of the Sierra de Famatina Wildland.

Cerca de Famatina, a view of the Sierra Famatina from the east, by Diego Ulloa (http://www.panoramio.com/user/57068?with_photo_id=27466109).

Plants of the central Sierra de Famatina Wildland. (Top left) cushion cactus with inch-long white spines; (top right) reduced leaves with spiny tips of a plant in the Polemoniaceae; (middle left) spine plant in the Fabaceae; (middle right) ground-hugging cactus; (bottom left) plants shaped into pyramidal forms by wind shear; (bottom right) red leaves of a plant camouflaged as a commonly colored rock.

Wildlife There are abundant and diverse in many parts of this Area Silvestre. A list of all the amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals expected to occur in this area is presented in Appendix 1 of this report. On our first two expeditions to this area, we saw abundant wildlife, especially in the puna region on the eastern side of the Andean crest. Both Andean condors and vicunas were common. Guanacos were also common, and found at lower elevations. Less common were Andean flamingos. Many birds were seen in a single large wetland complex near a hotel/museum along the way. There were occasional signs indicating that the animals were protected. We stayed at a campsite where the locals commonly fish for introduced brown trout. At this site we saw the remains of an armadillo. During one of our walks into the desert, we were surprised to find that the gravel was hollow beneath us, and each step crushed down into tunnel networks of the local small fauna. In the stream where camped we found numerous frogs. Undoubtedly, there are new species of vertebrates to be discovered here. In a paper describing the discovery of a new species of frog (Odontophrynus barrioi) 30 km north of Famatina, the authors described the La Rioja Mountains as an area characterized by “striking endemisms” (Cei, 1980b, in J. Cei; I. Ruiz; W. Becak, 1982, J. Herpet. 16:97-102).

Wildlife of the puna and cordilleran regions of the Sierra de Famatina to Ojos del Salado Wildland. Frogs (top left); guanacos (top middle); armadillo remains (top right); Andean condors (middle left); vicunas (middle right); vicunas (bottom left); waterfowl (bottom right).

Economy and Culture Inhabited areas are only located along the eastern edge of the near the Sierra de Famatina Wildland. The economy is diverse, with vineyards, nuts, olives, and cotton being commonly grown. Ranching and goat herding are also important. Clay is the main mining activity and there are also uranium mines. The per capita income of La Rioja province is US$6,280.

Scenes along the inhabited edges of Sierra de Famatina Wildland. (Left) Tinogasta; (right) a shrine to Guachito Antonio Gil, a 19th century outlaw guacho, or cowboy. Legends paint Gil as an Argentine Robin Hood who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. The archaelogical record is in this area spans a great period of time. Rioja province has petroglyphs at Talampaya National Park dating from around 10,000 years BCE. The Spanish conquerors arrived in the 16th Century and were met by the Diaguitas, Capayanes and the Olongastas. At that time, the high mountains were more highly populated than they are today. On our March 2011 expedition, we found large amounts of Inca and pre-Inca pottery described in our report on the Antofalla Wildland.

Potential Threats to the Area Silvestre The main threats to the ecosystem are mining and the off-highway vehicles. Poorly managed livestock grazing is an addition threat.

Mining

Mining is a threat that could become more significant, judging from the presence of trucks carrying exploratory geologists in remote areas. Uranium mines have already been established in this area. One of the most famous mines is the Mina la Mejicana gold mine in the headwaters west of Famatina. This mine polluted the waters and harmed agriculture, leading to a wave of anti-mining sentiment that still persists in this part of Argentina. (see photo below). The high summits of the Sierra de Famatina are laden with gold. Some estimate that perhaps 3 trillion dollars worth of gold (at current prices) could be extracted from this mountain range. That’s a lot of gold and a lot of money. So, there are incessant pressures to open a vast mine that would probably remove the top of the mountains and dig deep into its heart. For many years, Barrick Gold, the largest gold mining company in the world (based out of Toronto, Canada) had plans to mine the gold. However, the people of the Valle de Famatina had other ideas. They mounted strong protests, they started an impressive local and finally regional opposition movement to mining. They blockaded the road to the gold deposits near the top of the mountain. They elicited the help of the local police, to enforce there ban on the gold company prospecters visiting the mountain.

Finally, Barrick Gold gave up, but other mining companies (the latest from China) are trying once again to get access to the gold. And the local people are mounting protests once again. This presents a classic conflict between resource extraction and protection of an important regional watershed, the way of life of the local people and the vast wildlands and tremendous biodiversity.

Off-Road Vehicle Use

A major threat to this Area Silvestre is uncontrolled off-road vehicle travel. Recent advances in vehicle, GPS and remote sensing technologies have opened these areas up to a new class of off-road vehicle enthusiasts. Uncontrolled vehicle access has the potential to impact these areas within a short time. The flat areas and salt plains do not offer much resistance to off-road vehicles.

Off-road vehicle use. (Left) Tracks through the vegetation can quickly become roads. (Right) On Saturday, April 21, 2007, Chileans Bravo Gonzalo and Eduardo Canales Moya set a new

Guiness high altitude driving record by taking a modified Suzuki SJ to the 6,688 m (21,942 ft) elevation of Ojos del Salado.

Livestock Grazing

Poorly managed livestock grazing is an additional threat to the area. Overgrazing by goats, sheep, cattle, horses and burros occurs in some areas. During our 2008 and 2011 field visits we saw only a few areas where overgrazing was occurring, however in one instance, cattle had eaten the only dune vegetation that was keeping an entire stream from eroding away. Horses tend to be closely watched by their owners, while cattle herds were uncommon. It is possible that wild burros and wandering goat and sheep herds are threatening the ecosystem. But despite the common occurrence of these two species, we saw few examples to confirm their impacts were significant.

Wild burros in the puna.

Appendix 1 - Wildlife Species of Area Silvestre Sierra de Famatina to Ojos del Salado and Beyond We compiled a list of wildlife species whose known range includes all or part of this Area Silvestre. This information was obtained by querying wildlife species range maps compiled by NatureServe for species found within the area using an automated python-based GIS script. The original wildlife data can be found on the following websites: www.natureserve.org

Amphibians: Hypsiboas riojanus, Odontophrynus barrioi, Pleurodema nebulosum, Rhinella spinulosa, Telmatobius hauthali

Reptiles: Homonota fasciata, Leiosaurus catamarcensis, Liolaemus dicktracyi, Liolaemus olongasta

Mammals: Abrocoma cinerea, Abrocoma famatina, Abrothrix andinus, Calomys callosus, Calomys laucha, Chaetophractus

vellerosus, Chinchilla chinchilla, Chlamyphorus truncatus, Conepatus chinga, Ctenomys fulvus, Ctenomys knighti, Ctenomys tucumanus, Desmodus rotundus, Didelphis albiventris, Dolichotis patagonum, Eligmodontia moreni, Eligmodontia puerulus, Eptesicus furinalis, Eumops perotis, Galea musteloides, Galictis cuja, Graomys griseoflavus, Hippocamelus antisensis, Histiotus macrotus, Histiotus montanus, Lagidium viscacia, Lagostomus maximus, Lama lama, Lasiurus blossevillii, Lasiurus cinereus, Leopardus geoffroyi, Leopardus jacobitus, Leopardus pajeros, Lycalopex culpaeus, Lycalopex griseus, Lycalopex gymnocercus, Lyncodon patagonicus, Microcavia australis, Molossus molossus, Myocastor coypus, Myotis atacamensis, Myotis levis, Neotomys ebriosus, Octodontomys gliroides, Octomys mimax, Pecari tajacu, Phyllotis xanthopygus, Puma concolor, Tadarida brasiliensis, Thylamys pallidior, Vicugna vicugna, Zaedyus pichiy

Mammals (English Names: A White-eared Opossum, Andean Altiplano Mouse, Andean Cat, Andean Gerbil Mouse, Andean

Pampas Cat, Andean Swamp Rat, Argentine Brown Bat, Argentine Gray Fox, Ashy Chichilla Rat, Atacama Myotis, Big-eared Brown Bat, Brazilian Free-tailed Bat, Brush-tailed Vizcacha Rat, Catamarca Tucu-tuco, Collared Peccary, Common Yellow-toothed Cavy, Cougar, Culpeo, Famatina Chinchilla Rat,Geoffroy's Cat, Gray Leaf-eared Mouse, Greater Bonneted Bat, Guanaco, Hoary Bat, Large Vesper Mouse, Lesser Grison, Molina's Hog-nosed Skunk, Monte Gerbil Mouse, Nutria, Pallas's Mastiff Bat, Pallid Fat-tailed Opossum, Pampas Fox, Patagonian Cavy, Patagonian Weasel, Peruvian Guemal, Pichi, Pink Fairy Armadillo, Plains Vizcacha, Screaming Hairy Armadillo, Short-tailed Chinchilla, Small Big-eared Brown Bat, Small Vesper Mouse, Southern Mountain Cavy, Southern Vizcacha, Tawny Tucu-tuco, Tucuman Tucu-tuco, Vampire Bat, Vicuna, Vizcacha Rat, Western Red Bat, Yellow-rumped Leaf-eared Mouse, Yellowish Myotis

Birds: Aeronautes andecolus, Agelaioides badius, Agriornis micropterus, Agriornis montanus, Anairetes parulus, Anas flavirostris,

Anas georgica, Anthus correndera, Anthus furcatus, Asio flammeus, Asthenes modesta, Asthenes sclateri, Asthenes steinbachi, Athene cunicularia, Attagis gayi, Bubo virginianus, Buteo polyosoma, Calidris bairdii, Caprimulgus longirostris, Caracara plancus, Carduelis atrata, Carduelis crassirostris, Catamenia analis, Catamenia inornata, Cathartes aura, Chloephaga melanoptera, Chloroceryle americana, Cinclodes atacamensis, Cinclodes fuscus, Circus cinereus, Columba livia, Columbina picui, Coragyps atratus, Cyanoliseus patagonus, Diuca diuca, Elaenia albiceps, Falco femoralis, Falco peregrinus, Fulica cornuta, Geositta cunicularia, Geositta rufipennis, Geranoaetus melanoleucus, Heteronetta atricapilla, Hirundinea ferruginea, Hirundo rustica, Larus maculipennis, Larus serranus, Leptasthenura aegithaloides, Leptasthenura fuliginiceps, Lessonia oreas, Lophonetta specularioides, Metriopelia aymara, Metriopelia melanoptera, Metriopelia morenoi, Mimus patagonicus, Molothrus rufoaxillaris, Muscisaxicola albilora, Muscisaxicola capistratus, Muscisaxicola cinereus, Muscisaxicola flavinucha, Muscisaxicola frontalis, Muscisaxicola maculirostris, Muscisaxicola rufivertex, Nothoprocta ornata, Nycticorax nycticorax, Nycticryphes semicollaris, Ochthoeca leucophrys, Oreopholus ruficollis, Oreotrochilus leucopleurus, Oxyura ferruginea, Pandion haliaetus, Passer domesticus, Patagioenas maculosa, Patagona gigas, Phalaropus tricolor, Phalcoboenus megalopterus, Phegornis mitchellii, Phleocryptes melanops, Phoenicoparrus andinus, Phoenicoparrus jamesi, Phoenicopterus chilensis, Phrygilus atriceps, Phrygilus fruticeti, Phrygilus gayi, Phrygilus plebejus, Phrygilus unicolor, Phytotoma rutila, Pitangus sulphuratus, Poospiza ornata, Poospiza torquata, Pseudoseisura gutturalis, Psilopsiagon aurifrons, Psilopsiagon aymara, Pterocnemia pennata, Pygochelidon cyanoleuca, Recurvirostra andina, Riparia riparia, Rollandia rolland, Saltator aurantiirostris, Sappho sparganura, Serpophaga munda, Serpophaga subcristata, Sicalis auriventris, Sicalis olivascens, Stigmatura budytoides, Tachycineta meyeni, Teledromas fuscus, Thinocorus orbignyianus, Thraupis bonariensis, Tringa flavipes, Tringa melanoleuca, Troglodytes aedon, Turdus chiguanco, Tyto alba, Upucerthia certhioides, Upucerthia dumetaria, Upucerthia ruficaudus, Upucerthia validirostris, Vanellus chilensis, Vultur gryphus, Xolmis coronatus, Zenaida auriculata, Zonotrichia capensis

Birds (English Names): Andean Avocet, Andean Condor, Andean Duck, Andean Flamingo, Andean Goose, Andean Gull, Andean

Negrito, Andean Swift, Aplomado Falcon, Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch, Baird's Sandpiper, Band-tailed Seedeater, Band-winged Nightjar, Bank Swallow, Bar-winged Cinclodes, Bare-eyed Ground-Dove, Barn Owl, Barn Swallow, Bay-winged Cowbird, Black Siskin, Black Vulture, Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Black-crowned Monjita, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Black-fronted Ground-Tyrant, Black-headed Duck, Black-hooded Sierra-Finch, Black-winged Ground-Dove, Blue-and-white Swallow, Blue-and-yellow Tanager, Brown-capped Tit-Spinetail, Brown-hooded Gull, Buff-breasted Earthcreeper, Burrowing Owl, Burrowing Parakeet, Chaco Earthcreeper, Chiguanco Thrush, Chilean Flamingo, Chilean Swallow, Cinereous Ground-Tyrant, Cinereous Harrier, Cinnamon Warbling-Finch, Cinnamon-bellied Ground-Tyrant, Cliff Flycatcher, Common Diuca-Finch, Common

Miner, Cordilleran Canastero, Correndera Pipit, Crested Duck, Diademed Sandpiper-Plover, Eared Dove, Giant Hummingbird, Golden-billed Saltator, Golden-spotted Ground-Dove, Gray-bellied Shrike-Tyrant, Gray-breasted Seedsnipe, Gray-hooded Parakeet, Gray-hooded Sierra-Finch, Great Horned Owl, Great Kiskadee, Greater Wagtail-Tyrant, Greater Yellow-Finch, Greater Yellowlegs, Green Kingfisher, Greenish Yellow-Finch, Horned Coot, House Sparrow, House Wren, James's Flamingo, Lesser Rhea, Lesser Yellowlegs, Mountain Caracara, Mountain Parakeet, Mourning Sierra-Finch, Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrant, Ornate Tinamou, Osprey, Patagonian Mockingbird, Peregrine Falcon, Picui Ground-Dove, Plain-colored Seedeater, Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail, Plumbeous Sierra-Finch, Puna Canastero, Red-tailed Comet, Ringed Warbling-Finch, Rock Pigeon, Rufous-banded Miner, Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Rufous-naped Ground-Tyrant, Sandy Gallito, Scale-throated Earthcreeper, Screaming Cowbird, Short-billed Pipit, Short-eared Owl, South American Painted-Snipe, Southern Caracara, Southern Lapwing, Speckled Teal, Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant, Spot-winged Pigeon, Steinbach's Canastero, Straight-billed Earthcreeper, Tawny-throated Dotterel, Thick-billed Siskin, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, Turkey Vulture, Variable Hawk, White-bellied Tyrannulet, White-browed Chat-Tyrant, White-browed Ground-Tyrant, White-crested Elaenia, White-crested Tyrannulet, White-sided Hillstar, White-throated Cacholote, White-tipped Plantcutter, White-tufted Grebe, White-winged Cinclodes, Wilson's Phalarope, Wren-like Rushbird, Yellow-billed Pintail

Appendix 2 – Initial Description of Section One - Sierra de Famatina along the eastern border

Photo by Roberto Fiadone. Feb. 2008. Vista de la Sierra de Famatina desde Chilecito, en la provincia argentina de La Rioja. La foto está tomada desde un mirador del cerro Paimán, sobre la entrada de la ruta 40, en el extremo NO de ese cerro, frente a la "Gruta de Santa Rita". La dirección de la toma es hacia el Oeste en paralelo a la calle Niño Alcalde. From: Wikipedia.org

General Information The eastern half of this wildland is occupied by the Sierra de Famatina mountain range in the Rioja and Catamarca provinces of Argentina. This vast range covers about 4,000 square miles between the Valle de Famatina and the valley of Villa Union and Villa Castelli. The southern and eastern edges are bounded by Routes 40 and 78, respectively, and the west is bounded by Route 76. The mountain range extends northward through roadless lands in the Catamarca province east of Tinogasta.

The Rioja province has petroglyphs at Talampaya National Park dating from around 10,000 years BCE. The Spanish conquerors arrived in the 16th century and were met by the diaguitas, capayanes and the olongastas. The climate of the province is arid to semi-arid, (200 mm yearly), with short winters and hot summers.

The economy of the area is diverse, with vineyands, walnuts, olives, figs, other fruit trees and cotton being commonly grown. Ranching and goat herding are also important. Clay is the main mining activity and there are also uranium mines. The per capita income of the province is US$6,280. There is the potential for a huge gold mine in the summit area of the Sierra de Famatina.

A description of the area by climber Andrew Weber begins by following a 4x4 unpaved road from Famatina past Mina la Mejicana goldmine. A large river at Encrujicada (32 km from Famatina, 2800m) was described as being very dangerous due to sulfuric acid coming from a working (or abandoned) gold mine. The climber spent a night a 5500-m and described incredibly strong winds requiring him to hold on to his pack. Another description of the Sierra de Famatina written by a mountain climbing group, Peakware can be found on the following website: (http://www.peakware.com/peaks.html?pk=1759&view=overview).

Photos of the area

Cerca de Famatina, a view of the Sierra Famatina from the east, by Diego Ulloa (http://www.panoramio.com/user/57068?with_photo_id=27466109).

Nevado de Famatina, cerro Manuel Belgrano La Rioja, a view of Sierra de Famatina from Famatina in the east, by narapa (http://www.panoramio.com/user/574654).

Tramo del "Camino del Inca" en la Sierra del Famatina - La Rioja, Argentina, by galzazio (http://www.panoramio.com/user/2647123?with_photo_id=17571252).

Cuesta de Miranda, a photo of the Miranda area in the southeast, by Kelly Davico (http://www.panoramio.com/user/161996?with_photo_id=3173049).

Cuesta de Miranda, a photo of the Miranda area in the southeast, by Diego Ulloa (http://www.panoramio.com/user/57068?with_photo_id=27466109).

A cactus near Miranda, by Richard Desomme (http://www.panoramio.com/user/823582?with_photo_id=21016501).

Unusual species found in the area One endemic mammal found in this area is the Famatina tuco-tuco (Ctenomys famosus) is a species of rodent in the Ctenomyidae family. It is endemic to northern Argentina. The conservation status is unknown due to data deficiencies. In a paper describing the discovery of a new species of frog (Odontophrynus barrioi) in found 30 km north of Famatina, the authors described the La Rioja Mountains a an area characterized by “striking endemisms” (Cei, 1980b, in J. Cei; I. Ruiz; W. Becak, 1982, J. Herpet. 16:97-102)

Geology and Minerals Mineral List for the Sierra de Famatina:

Acanthite Altaite Alunite Anhydrite Argyrodite Atacamite Baryte Biotite Bornite Calcite

Gold Goldfieldite Gypsum Hematite Idaite Illite Kaolinite Kasolite Klockmannite Luzonite

Pyrrhotite Quartz Rammelsbergite Rhodochrosite Safflorite 'Sericite' Siderite Silver Skutterudite Sphalerite

Chalcanthite Chalcocite Chalcomenite Chalcopyrite Clausthalite Colusite Covellite Digenite Enargite Eucairite Famatinite (TL) Ferroselite Fibroferrite Freibergite Galena

Magnetite Malachite Marcasite Mawsonite 'Melnikovite' Miargyrite Molybdenite Naumannite Nickeline Pearceite Polybasite Proustite Pyrargyrite Pyrite Pyrophyllite

Stannite Stannoidite Stephanite Stützite Svanbergite Sylvanite Tellurium Tennantite Tetrahedrite var: Bismuthian Tetrahedrite Umangite Uytenbogaardtite Wolframite Wurtzite Zunyite

From: http://www.mindat.org/loc-45.html Minerals of the La Mejicana District, Sierra de Famatina, La Rioja, Argentina Highly sulfurous epithermal veins associated with dacitic volcanics hosted in Miocene shales of the Negro Peinado and Mogotes Formations. Includes the La Mejicana mine, Upulungus mine, and diverse other prospects and adits. Most important veins are the San Pedro and the Upulungus.

Acanthite Alunite Anhydrite Bornite Chalcanthite Chalcopyrite Colusite Covellite Enargite Famatinite Fibroferrite

Galena Gold Goldfieldite Gypsum Malachite Marcasite Mawsonite 'Melnikovite' Pearceite Polybasite Quartz

Sphalerite Stannite Stannoidite Stützite Sylvanite Tennantite Tetrahedrite var: Bismuthian Tetrahedrite Uytenbogaardtite

From: http://www.mindat.org/loc-23362.html

Appendix 3 - Initial Description of Section Two - Monte Pissis, Cerro Bonete, Crater Corona del Inca, Salina de Laguna Verde

by MARIOPILI http://www.panoramio.com/photo/19335087?source=wapi&referrer=kh.google.com

General Description This area consists of the western high mountains that lie east of the crest of Andes and some high lakes at their base. It contains the Monte Pissis, Cerro Bonete and the Crater of Corona del Inca. Much of this description was based on information in Wikipedia.

Monte Pissis is an extinct volcano in La Rioja Province, Argentina with an elevation of 6793 meters. The mountain is the third-highest in the Western Hemisphere, and is located about 550 km north of Aconcagua. Monte Pissis is named after Pedro José Amadeo Pissis, a French geologist who worked for the Chilean government. It is most easily accessed off of Ruta 60, north and west of Fiambala.

Due to its location in the Andean Puna, the mountain has very dry conditions with snow only remaining on the peak during winter. The mountain is very high and remote, and the ascent is a long hike.

In 1994 it was claimed by Argentine authorities that an advanced GPS survey had determined that the elevation of Monte Pissis was 6,882 m, and higher than Ojos del Salado, but SRTM data and several modern GPS surveys have proved that this widely reproduced and repeated claim is incorrect. In 2005, an Austrian performed a precise DGPS survey of Pissis' summit and found the elevation to be 6793m. This was later confirmed by a Chilean-European expedition, which surveyed both Ojos del Salado and Monte Pissis. It has provisionally found the former to be 6,891 m and the latter 6,793 m.

On the east side of the Andes crest, Laguna Verde (elevation 4,100 m) occupies an endorheic (without an outlet) drainage basin. The lake is very large and has pools of many different colors owing to the complex of minerals that have accumulated in its waters.

Pictures of the area

Volcan Pissis (6882 m.) - Vista de la cara norte, ruta normal. by Juan Pablo Gitelli

Volcan Pissis, by galzazio (http://www.panoramio.com/user/2647123?with_photo_id=17571252).

Monte Pissis from the Northeast, John Biggar, February 2007

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pissis.jpg

Monte Pissis from the north with salt lakes in the foreground.

Cerro Bonete, by Juan Pablo Gitelli

Vista de Laguna Verde, by Jorge Radivo (http://www.panoramio.com/user/880298?with_photo_id=4496888)

Laguna Verde with Monte Pissis in the background (Macizo Pissis > 6.882 msnm "volcán más alto del mundo"). Photo by jpavletic (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/1250469).

Panaramio photo: EXPEDICION LAGUNAS DE ALTURA - Copyright

Federico Sisto By fsisto

Panaramio Photo: vuelo copiapo fiambala-dakar 2011

By aereas catamarca

Appendix 4 - Initial Description of Section Three – The Crest of the Andes Mountains between Argentina and Chile - from Cerro Tres Cruces to Paso San Francisco, including Nevado Ojos del Salado and the salars to the west in Atacama Desert of Chile

General Description This is a section of the high Andes along the frontier between Argentina and Chile. It contains some of the highest mountains in the world. At 6,893 meters elevation (22,615 feet), Nevado Ojos del Salada is the highest volcano in the world and the second highest peak in the western hemisphere. According to Wikipedia, the name comes from enormous deposits of salt that form lagoons or “eyes” in its glaciers. However, the source of this name could not be confirmed, and an alternate meaning may refer to its commanding views of the surrounding salt flats. Nevado Ojos del Salado is a recently active stratovolcano. The most recent eruption appears to be around 1,300 years ago. The eastern slope supports a the world’s highest permanent lake at 100 m in diameter and 6,390 m elevation.

Photos of the area (by Peter Morrison – March 2011)

Appendix 5 - Initial Description of Section Four – The Central Cordillera, Sierra del Toro Negro, Rio Jague, Rio de la Tamberia (to be developed)