Los Alerces National Park

Lore & Background

Los Alerces National Park consists of two parts: the formally declared national park of 187,379 hectares and the adjoining Los Alerces National Reserve of 71,443 hectares. Almost all development is in the national reserve. A buffer area 10 km wide surrounds the three sides not bordering Chile. The park is shaped like a rough rectangle, extending about 65 km north to south along the Chilean border and 45 km east to west. All of the park lies in the drainage basin of the Futaleufú River, which is called by several different names during its course in Argentina. A chain of lakes separated by short turbulent rivers characterizes the park, beginning with Lake Rivadavia and flowing through Green Lake, Arrayanes River, Lake Menéndez, Futalaufquen Lake, Kruger Lake, Frey River, and Amutui Quimey Reservoir, an artificial lake created by a hydroelectric dam.

Reader's Guide

Los Alerces National Park is significant as a World Heritage Site designated in 2017, created in 1937 to protect the globally threatened alerce tree, the second longest living tree species in the world, with some individuals over 3,600 years old. The park contains the largest alerce forest in Argentina, covering 7,407 hectares on the two arms of Lake Menéndez and the upper part of Amutui Quimey Reservoir. The best-known alerce forest, reachable by boat at Puerto Sagrario at the northern end of Lake Menéndez, contains the largest known alerce tree in Argentina: 57 m tall, 2.2 m in diameter, and 2,600 years old. Taller and larger alerce trees are believed to exist on the southwestern arm of Lake Menéndez, but access is restricted. The park's landscape was molded by successive glaciations, creating moraines, glacial cirques, and clear-water lakes. Its vegetation includes dense temperate forests, alpine meadows, and Valdivian temperate rain forests in the west. The park provides habitat for endemic and threatened species and protects some of the last continuous Patagonian Forest in an almost pristine state.

Did You Know?

• The alerce tree is the second longest living tree species in the world, with some in Chile over 3,600 years old.
• The largest known alerce tree in Argentina is 57 m tall, 2.2 m in diameter, and 2,600 years old, located at Puerto Sagrario on Lake Menéndez.
• The park's virgin alerce forests cover 7,407 hectares on the two arms of Lake Menéndez and the upper part of Amutui Quimey Reservoir.
• The park was created in 1937 and designated a World Heritage Site in 2017.

The UNESCO Framework for Natural Heritage

The UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972, created a global framework for recognizing places of outstanding cultural or natural significance. Within this system, natural heritage encompasses a broad range of features: physical and biological formations, geological and physiographical structures, habitats supporting threatened animal and plant species, and natural sites valued for their scientific importance, conservation value, or inherent beauty. Sites seeking inscription must satisfy at least one of ten criteria, with criteria vii through x specifically addressing natural properties. For a protected area in Argentina to be considered under this framework, it would need to demonstrate excellence in one or more of these natural dimensions. The convention thus provides the evaluative lens through which landscapes are assessed not merely for their local ecological role but for their contribution to the shared natural patrimony of all humanity. This standardized approach ensures that recognition is grounded in clearly defined qualities rather than subjective appeal, giving the process both rigor and international comparability.

Argentina's Journey with the World Heritage Convention

Argentina's formal engagement with the UNESCO World Heritage system began on 23 August 1978, when the nation accepted the convention and thereby made its historical and natural sites eligible for international recognition. Since that foundational step, the country has accumulated twelve inscribed World Heritage Sites, with five recognized for their natural qualities and six for their cultural significance. The first Argentine site to receive this distinction was Los Glaciares National Park, inscribed at the fifth session of the World Heritage Committee in Sydney, Australia, in October 1981. The most recent addition to the national roster is the ESMA Museum, which earned its listing in 2023. Beyond these twelve, Argentina also maintains eight properties on its tentative list, signaling ongoing interest in expanding its representation. Three of the inscribed sites are shared with other nations, reflecting transboundary heritage values that transcend single-country boundaries.

Natural Heritage Among Argentina's Inscribed Sites

Of Argentina's twelve World Heritage Sites, five are distinguished specifically for their natural properties, placing ecological and geological significance at the center of their recognition. The natural heritage category, as defined by the convention, covers physical and biological formations, geological and physiographical structures, habitats of threatened species, and sites of scientific, conservation, or aesthetic importance. Los Glaciares National Park opened the way for Argentine natural sites when it was inscribed in 1981, establishing a precedent that the country's landscapes could meet the rigorous standards of criteria vii through x. The remaining natural sites joined the list in subsequent years, broadening the geographic and ecological diversity represented. Meanwhile, three of Argentina's inscribed properties are shared with other countries, including the Jesuit missions with Brazil, the Inca road system sites with five nations, and the works of Le Corbusier with six. This blend of exclusively Argentine and transboundary listings illustrates the varied pathways through which natural and cultural heritage achieve global recognition.

The Tentative List and the Road to Nomination

For any site in Argentina to eventually appear on the World Heritage List, it must first be placed on the national tentative list. This procedural requirement means that nominations are only accepted if the property has already been registered as a tentative candidate, giving member states a structured mechanism for planning and prioritizing future submissions. Argentina currently holds eight properties on its tentative list, representing sites that the country considers worthy of potential nomination but which have not yet undergone the full inscription process. The tentative list thus functions as a pipeline, allowing governments to signal their intent, conduct preliminary studies, and engage with UNESCO before committing to a formal nomination. This two-stage approach—tentative listing followed by nomination—ensures that the World Heritage Committee receives well-prepared proposals rather than spontaneous applications. For natural areas in Argentina, this pathway represents a significant step toward the international recognition that can bring both conservation incentives and global visibility to landscapes of outstanding natural value.