Las Salinas de Huentelauquén (LSH)

Vista panorámica del Humedal Huentelauquén, desde ribera norte

Las Salinas de Huentelauquén (LSH)

  • Country: 
    Chile
  • Site number: 
    2237
  • Area: 
    2,772 ha
  • Designation date: 
    02-02-2015
  • Coordinates: 
    31°34'S 71°33'W
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

This Ramsar Site includes the last section of the Choapa River and its extensive estuarine lagoon. Its diverse coastal ecosystems such as beaches, flats, sand dunes, and streams support a great biodiversity. Among the species that use the Site are 148 species of birds, 10 of reptiles, 14 of mammals, 4 of amphibians, and 133 plant species. Some of these are threatened or endangered such as the marine otter (Lontra felina), the Chilean toad (Calyptocephalella gayi) and Eriosyce chilensis. The Site also receives 28 species of migratory birds that use it for feeding, resting or wintering. Resident bird species also use it as an area for post-reproductive aggregation. Fish and crustaceans which support the local economy, such as Mugil cephalus and the endemic river shrimp Cryphiops caementarius, reproduce at the Site. The threats to the Site include the introduction of common carp (Cyprinus carpio), an invasive species, and the use of increasingly technical agricultural processes that include the unregulated use of pesticides. Other threats include mining and climate change.

Administrative region: 
Coquimbo

  • National legal designation: 
    • Area Prohibida de Caza - Area Prohibida de CazaHuentelauquén y ecosistemas adyacentes
  • Last publication date: 
    25-08-2015

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents