Iberá Wetlands

The Esteros del Ibera is a 13,000 km ² large wetland in Argentina. It is located in the province of Corrientes in the north- east of the country near the border with Brazil and Paraguay.

The name comes from the Guaraní Ibera where y vera " bright water". The area is a mix of swamp, marsh, lakes and lagoons. The Esteros del Ibera are after the Pantanal in Brazil, the largest wetland in the world.

Since 1982, the Esteros del Ibera are part of a protection zone, which accounts for 14% of the province of Corrientes, and thus represents the largest protected area in Argentina. The area is also one of the most important freshwater reservoirs of the continent. 245 km ² fall as a Wetland of International Importance since 2002 under the Ramsar Convention. The Unesco is currently considering inclusion in the World Heritage List.

The Esteros del Ibera are known for their biodiversity, including the Neotropical otter ( Lontra longicaudis ), the maned wolf, the pampas deer and swamp deer. In addition, there alligators, caimans, the Capybara ( Capybara ) and about 350 bird species. In a large part of the area, hunting is prohibited.