Every 6 November, National Parks Day is celebrated in commemoration of the expert Francisco Pascasio Moreno, who in 1903 donated three square leagues of his property, equivalent to some 7,500 hectares, to the Argentine State on the condition that they be preserved intact and for the benefit of future generations. This gesture laid the foundations for the development of what we know today as the national park system in Argentina.
In 1922, the primitive nucleus of the national protected areas known as the ‘Parque Nacional del Sud’, the first national park in Latin America, was created on these ceded lands, located near Laguna Frias and Puerto Blest, to the west of Lake Nahuel Huapi, between the provinces of Rio Negro and Neuquen. Later, on 9 October 1934, it would be named Nahuel Huapi National Park, the country's first national park.
Simultaneously, the Argentine government commissioned the landscape architect Carlos Thays to study the Iguazú Falls with the intention of creating a park around them for tourism, conservation and military purposes. Finally, on the same date (9 October 1934), the Iguazú National Park was created.
Nahuel Huapi National Park is characterised by its landscape of lakes, mountains and forests, by its unique biodiversity and spectacular geography, making it a symbol of the country's natural beauty and a model for conservation in Latin America. This protected area was also home to Argentina's first forest nursery, today consolidated as an internationally distinguished botanical garden.
Currently, Argentina has 39 national parks, 3 interjurisdictional marine parks, 1 federal park, 8 reserves, 2 areas declared natural monuments, 3 marine protected areas, 55 national protected areas, totalling more than 18 million hectares. This safeguard covers a wide variety of ecosystems: from the subtropical forests of Iguazú, in Misiones, to the deserts and mountains of Los Cardones, in Salta.
Each national park contributes to the conservation of biodiversity and the ecological balance of the national territory, offering refuge to endemic and endangered species, and at the same time, providing a space for scientific research and sustainable ecotourism.
On this day, we celebrate and recognise the value of these spaces as a legacy for future generations, highlighting the commitment to protect the country's valuable natural and cultural heritage.
