CONSERVATION PROJECT
Being inside a National Park and living in Patagonia, it is essential for us to start with conservation practices and value the flora and fauna that surrounds us.
Las Balsas has a total area of 23 hectares, of which 20 have been dedicated to a conservation project.
Within this area, a path of interpretation has been stablished and covers the different habitats that surround us.
The project is in charge of biologists and local naturalists who not only traced the path but the survey of all the species of native flora and fauna around us.
The goal of our "path" project is to value the land, not as a resource but as value, as common goods of those who live here as well as those who visit us.
That is why it is important from the path to have the opportunity to enjoy it as a journey, live it and feel it to put the earth and its fruits in value.
FOUR EYES TOAD
A toad encourages us to continue on this path!
This frog is one of the most special inhabitants of our path. It is called "Toad of four eyes", or Pleurodema thaul. It is a small amphibian that can be found in the understory of the Argentinian-Chilean Andean Patagonia. With greenish gray spots, grainy skin, tiny nostrils and large, brown eyes that protrude above the head. On its back it seems to have a second pair of eyes placed just above its hips. This second "face" can fool predators into believing that this little one is bigger than he seems-perhaps too big to face. This trick-along with the poisons it carries within-are wonderful adaptations that have allowed this helpless amphibian to keep different types of predators at bay. Their greatest need is to have temporary access to calm waters, where the female can lay her eggs and hatch them underwater, living and breathing there quietly until the young develop their adult bodies ready to live on the land. Around the world, the presence of toads and other amphibians is a sign that the ecosystems are healthy and fully functional.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MALLIN
Two Mallínes to enjoy!
A mallín, in the south of Argentina and Chile (in Patagonia), is an area of low-lying floodplains or wetland, whose importance lies both in biological (biodiversity) and economic (permanent source of forage, places suitable for crops). The mallínes can be permanent or temporary, there are also fertile and saline. In some regions, a 'mallín' refers to the presence of very light soils, either underground or on the surface (called sills), with very little or no capacity to withstand loads, so when performing a construction, it is highly probable after a few years, the building will suffer serious breaks in its structure.
The word is of Mapuche origin, with the same meaning, and has been widely adopted, starting from the regional toponymy, until its common use in studies and scientific works.
The mallines present a great variety of sizes and shapes. They can constitute small ecosystems in very localized and relatively isolated areas or constitute a complex of somehow continuous or chained wetlands that occupy the drainage lines in the sierras and plateaus or in the floodplains of the great valleys.
DETAILS
DURATION: 1 hour
DIFFICULTY: Low
We recommend accompanying the journey with an interpretation guide. Ask the Concierge for more information.
Contacto
TRAIL DESCRIPTION
The trail currently covers a total of 2.7 km and is all marked. The trail crosses two very different wetlands, a forest of Ñires and an ancient forest of giant coihues. All the understory has a great variety of flora and fauna species that we are putting in value with this conservation area. Visitors can simply walk and enjoy the trail, do meditation, yoga or tai chi. They can also perform a forest bath (shinrin-yoku) or meditations at the different stations.
Dirección: Cabellera de la Berenice 445, Q8407ZCA Villa La Angostura, Neuquén
Tel: +54 0294 449-4308 Email: reservations@lasbalsas.com
© 2018 Las Balsas. POLÍTICA DE NIÑOS +6
