Overgrazing of Sheep and Cattle

It is by far the most damaging practice to the greater Patagonian landscape. Over a century of grazing of livestock on the semi-arid and arid ecosystems has caused dramatic, and in some cases, irreversible damage to Patagonia. However, once the livestock is removed, even the most fragile grasslands can be given a rest and the chance to regenerate. With both livestock and their necessary fence lines removed, remnant wildlife populations will have access to unfragmented habitat and the chance to flourish once again.

Wind Erosion

With the grasses and topsoils broken by overgrazing, the severe Patagonian winds take little time to blow the shallow and fragile topsoils east to the Atlantic Ocean. The agricultural ministry of Argentina estimates that desertification of the Patagonian steppe due to overgrazing pressure will affect nearly 80% of the area if steps are not taken now to reduce the pressure on these fragile landscapes. They calculate that already nearly 30% of Patagonia is in some stage of desertification.

Water Erosion

When the vegetation is gone, scarce but often heavy rains create runoff and serious soil erosion. The combination of the lands inability to adequately store moisture from rain and the loss of tops soils running to the ocean exacerbate and accelerate the destruction of habitat critical to the survival of both animal and plant species in the region.

Roads

As the expression goes - "it is difficult to destroy wilderness without roads", and this applies equally well to Patagonia as elsewhere. A relentless development of highways, ranch access roads, oil field road, pipelines and electrical tower access has greatly fragmented habitats and brought all the familiar environmental ills that roads bring. New legislation for the control of road development is urgently required to curb the escalation of damage in the region.

Fire and Logging

Though fire is not commonly thought to be a significant threat, Patagonia's southern beech forests have been routinely burned to open up more rangeland for livestock grazing. Patagonia's old growth forests are also threatened by commercial logging operations. Though environmental groups have been fighting for years to protect the few intact forests in the region, these forests are being logged at an alarming rate. In addition to destroying Patagonia's rare forest ecosystems, logging significantly alters the rain pattern of the region, accelerating the desertification.

Invasive Species

The invasion of exotic species, largely associated with the management practices of livestock in an area, has been a relatively new focus of attention for biologists working in the area of conservation. Today the long-term process of eradicating exotic species from protected areas is an important aspect of any serious restoration effort. This eradication process has already begun in Valle Chacabuco, where at least 38 species of exotic plants have been identified. This is an expensive and often impossible objective for some species.