Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve
Encyclopedia
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Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
riverbank located on the east side of the district of Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero, also known within the urban planning community as the Puerto Madero Waterfront, is a barrio of the Argentine capital at Buenos Aires CBD, occupying a significant portion of the Río de la Plata riverbank and representing the latest architectural trends in the city of Buenos...
in Buenos Aires CBD
Buenos Aires Central Business District
The Buenos Aires central business district , is the main commercial centre of Buenos Aires, Argentina, though not an official city ward.-Overview:...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
History
After opening in 1918, the Municipal Riverside resort was witness to the splendour and decadence of the “Costanera Sur” promenade. On foot, by car or tram, thousands of porteños came to this place in search of fresh air in summer afternoons, or to bathe in the river, smartly clad in their one piece bathing costume and carrying a towel. In accordance to the 1923 Regulations, men and women bathed in the river separated by the long pier.During the 20s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
and 30s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
, the promenade became prosperous with the setting up of bars and coffee shops which added their architectural beauty to the Nereids Fountain built by sculptress Lola Mora
Lola Mora
Lola Mora was a sculptor, born in a barn in the , though generally considered native to Trancas, province of Tucumán, where she was recorded and baptized. She is known today as a rebel and a pioneer of women in her artistic field...
, the art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
-styled statue in honor to the Plus Ultra
Plus Ultra
Plus Ultra may refer to:*Plus Ultra , the motto of, among others, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V*Plus Ultra , a seaplane flown by a team of Spanish aviators, including Ramón Franco and Julio Ruiz de Alda Miqueleiz, on a Trans-Atlantic flight in 1926*AD Plus Ultra, a former Spanish football team, now...
airmen, the bronze lamposts and the Monument in honor to the King and Queen of Spain. The resort became one of the porteños favorite promenades not only during the day but also at night due to the music and variety shows performed in the coffee shops. The decline of the resort started at the end of the 50s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
. Facilities began to deteriorate, many coffee shops were demolished and bathing started to be forbidden due to river contamination.
In the early 70s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, a new project was created in addition to those that had been developed in the northern city areas which consisted of reclaiming land from the river in front of the old “Costanera Sur” Riverside Resort. The land-filling started in 1978 using the Dutch “polder” system; embankments were built using debris from demolitions carried out to construct urban motorways. As the zone within the embankments filled with silt from the river, the water confined inside was drained, though this work was not fully completed.
The initial project, which included the creation of green areas and the construction of a “Government Building Area” was abandoned, although land-filling and debris dumping went on discontinuously until 1984, when works were finally ended. Since then, different plant communities developed spontaneously from seeds present in the silt, windborne or dispersed by the animals. By providing refuge and food, plants helped animal populations to settle in. From the beginning, the newly formed ponds and grasslands attracted the attention of nature lovers and bird watchers who thus started to visit them regularly. As the biological diversity increased, woods and a variety of animal species appeared. This place became a meeting point for joggers, cyclists, students, naturalists and even foreign bird watchers passing through Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
.
The official recognition occurred on June 5th, 1986, when the Buenos Aires City Council voted unanimously the Ordinance 41,247 granting protection to the area, thus echoing the claims of the Non-Governmental Organizations.
On January 9 of 2009, the Ecological Reserve caught fire. The large cloud of smoke persisted over Puerto Madero for nearly 24 hours, and was eventually put out by the fire department.
Nature trails
Being adjacent to the city, a visit to the Ecological Reserve is an escape from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis. A number of trails leading to the river are perfect for birdwatchingBirdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
, strolling, cycling and nature lovers.
The Ecological Reserve is also a Gay friendly
Gay friendly
Gay-friendly refers to places, policies, people or institutions that are open and welcoming to gay people to create an environment that is supportive of gay people and their relationships, respectful of all people, treat all people equally, and are non-judgmental...
meeting point.
External links
- National Parks Administration (in English and Spanish)