Ecological Reserve Costanera Norte and Costanera Sur - Buenos Aires

The Buenos Aires Urban Planning Code zoned and delimits districts, defining the District Ecological Reserve Area -ARE- and defines it as an area, which, due to its environmental character, its physical configuration and its evolutionary dynamics, gives rise to the formation of natural environments where different species of flora and fauna can be maintained in perpetuity or even increase their density, either by maintaining natural conditions or with the contribution of scientific management. The Costanera Reserve arose from an effort by environmental movements in the city of Buenos Aires to conserve environmentally important areas of the city in the face of real estate pressure. As a result of this process, the Ecological Reserve was formalized in the Buenos Aires Urban Planning Code, which zoned and delimits districts, defining the District Ecological Reserve Area -ARE- and defines it as an area that, due to its environmental character, its physical configuration and its evolutionary dynamics, gives rise to the formation of natural environments where different species of flora and fauna can be maintained in perpetuity or even increase their density, either by maintaining natural conditions or with the contribution of scientific management. This instrument has as its antecedent the project to gain land from the river in 1972. The Costanera Sur Reserve was therefore not created on purpose, but its origin is due to the construction material that was thrown into the river with the opening of the roads created in the city of Buenos Aires. Little by little, nature was reconquering the land, as the River, the wind, the birds and other elements made the plants and the habitat of wild animals reborn among the rubble. In the face of real estate pressure, environmental movements succeeded in transforming the area into an ecological reserve, which, having been landscaped, now covers an area of 353 hectares, representing 24% of the city's public recreational spaces. The reserve was declared a "Natural Park and Ecological Reserve" by municipal ordinance under the jurisdiction of the Secretaría de Urbanismo y Medio Ambiente del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Agreement-based or cooperative instrument›Community-based agreement with the support of the government

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Nature appropriation / stewardship
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

Thus, the reserve is a sample of the wildlife of the riparian ecosystem. So far, 220 plant species, 236 species of terrestrial vertebrates and amphibians (200 birds, 60 of which nest, 8 mammals, 11 reptiles and 9 amphibians) have been detected. Although it is likely that this number could increase, it is important to note that these numbers correspond to observations in different periods of time, and the stable number is lower; this is related to the surface of the reserve and the rates of emigration and immigration of the species. The relative isolation of the reserve is determined by having the city as its western, northern and southern limits and the river as its eastern limit, with the main source of species being the riparian areas and the river as its gateway. For this reason, maintaining free access to the river is fundamental for a natural flow of species. These results, fruits of chance caused by the adaptive potential of the fauna and flora, are used as a living sample of nature, easily accessible to the public and enhanced through rational management.This is why among the main functions of the Costanera Sur is, on the one hand, Environmental Education, seeking that the visitor, through direct contact with nature, understand the essential processes of a natural ecosystem, and on the other hand the Recreational use, since by its location, access facilities and proportions, the Costanera Sur meets ideal conditions for recreation in nature.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Good practice characteristics:

Effective

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Inclusivity

Multifunctional NBS support

Governance

Non-governmental actor(s)

Initiating body:

Citizens or community groups / NGOs

Details about how the instrument was designed:

As mentioned above, non-governmental organizations such as Amigos de la Tierra Argentina (ATA), the Asociación Ornitológica del Plata (AOP) and the Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina (FVSA), began defending the area and promoted its regulation as land preserved from urbanization. Official recognition came on June 5, 1986, when the Deliberative Council of the City of Buenos Aires, echoing the claims of the NGOs, unanimously approved Ordinance No. 41.247 declaring "Natural Park and Ecological Reserve Zone to the land reclaimed from the Río de la Plata in front of the Costanera Sur, between the seawall of Dársena Norte and the Sports City of the Boca Juniors Club". In December 1978 the land reclaimed from the river was transferred to the Municipality of the City of Buenos Aires.

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Researchers, university

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs, NGOs, etc.

Details about the implementation:

The reserve currently depends on the Undersecretary of the Environment of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires. It has a Management Council, made up of the three non-governmental organizations that promoted the reserve, as well as the Department of Biological Sciences of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires.

How did the government support the instrument?:

Once the reserve was declared, in 1989, Ordinance No. 43,609 created the Ecological Reserve District ARE in the Costanera Sur area, and in 1991 Ordinance 45,676 approved the Management Plan for the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve. The Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur is currently the most biodiverse area in the city of Buenos Aires (Capital Federal). It is an Important Bird Area (IBA) according to the criteria of the global organization Birdlife International and in 2005 it was declared a Ramsar Site, which means it is recognized as a wetland of international importance.

Financing

Budget:

Unknown

Details about instrument financing:

During the course of the present investigation, no data on the financing of the instrument were found.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The example of the Reserva Ecológica de la Costanera Sur of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires led to the recognition of environmental social movements by the city government, making it an internationally recognized ecological reserve under the Ramsar Convention. At present, the citizens' struggle to preserve this natural space in its entirety continues. The citizens feel a strong attachment to the Costanera Sur, for its environmental, social and cultural value.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The organization of civil society is key to the defense and conservation of the environment in general, and of environments with special natural value.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

VVAA. Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve (2006) https://www.reservacostanera.com.ar/ (Accessed: 22/07/2022)

Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve (2010) https://morfologialombardi.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/reserva-ecologica-costanera-sur_2010.pdf

Central Society of Architects, CABA (2015). The coastal edge of the autonomous city of Buenos Aires: a pending subject. https://observatorioamba.org/planes-y-proyectos/cuenca-del-plata/investigaciones/el-borde-costero-de-la-ciudad-autonoma-de-buenos-aires-una-asignatura-pendiente/ficha

Gallegos Fedriani, P (2018). Green spaces, their dominion ownership and use in Argentine law. Monographs of the Aragonese Journal of Public Administration. ISSN 1133-4797, XVII, Zaragoza, 2018, pp. 161-172.

Further documents

Documents:

19920309_plan_de_manejo_recs.pdf

Weblinks:

https://www.buenosaires.gob.ar/reservaecologica

Photos

Buenos Aires City