Lagunas de Guanacache, Desaguadero y del Bebedero. 14/12/99; Mendoza, San Juan, San Luis; 962,370 ha; 33°00'S 67°36'W. A long system of linked lagoons and marshes fed by the Mendoza and San Juan Rivers in the provinces of those names. The system drains into the Desaguadero River and covers an area of some 10,000 square km. The dominant wetland type is "seasonal/intermittent freshwater lakes", but the site also includes "seasonal/intermittent/irregular rivers/streams/creeks", "seasonal/intermittent/ freshwater marshes/pools", "shrub-dominated wetlands", and some other less frequent wetland types. There is a rich biodiversity associated with the system, with more than 50 species of waterbirds. The system has suffered a number of natural and anthropogenic alterations which have considerably reduced the area covered by the lagoons and marshes. A rehabilitation program is being implemented. The local communities include some 2000 people, known as the "laguneros", whose customs and traditions are based in the lagoons and their resources. The provincial governments of Mendoza and San Juan are cooperating closely in the site designation and management. In 1999, the Ramsar/US Government Wetlands for the Future Initiative financed a First Training Workshop for the Local Community and Intermediate Institutions for the Rehabilitation and Management of the Lagunas de Guanacache. The designation of the Lagunas as a Ramsar site is a further step in the efforts to rehabilitate and conserve the system. The site was significantly extended from 580,000 to 962,370 hectares in 2007. Ramsar site no.1012. Most recent RIS information: 2007.