por Main natural resources of Uruguay They are fauna and flora, land use, mining and hydroelectric power. Uruguay ranks 50th in the world in wealth of natural resources per capita and is the second smallest country in the Americas, with an area of just 176,215 km2.
It is located north of the Río de la Plata (Figure 1). This river drains the second largest basin in South America and flows into the Atlantic Ocean generating an estuarine system of approximately 35 km2 with only 5 to 15 meters of water depth.
The main biogeographical regions that influence the flora of the Uruguayan territory are the Pampas, the Paraná and the Chaco. Uruguay’s marine domain is made up of the Río de la Plata and the adjacent shelf and shares ecosystems with Brazil and Argentina.
Plants and animals
In Uruguay, grassland vegetation predominates with an abundance of cacti and bromeliads; In the Chaco region of the country we can also find deciduous xeric forest vegetation.
A total of 2,400 species of vascular plants, 140 species of mollusks, 226 freshwater fish, 48 amphibians, 71 reptiles, 453 birds, and 114 mammals are known.
The diversity of molluscs in Uruguay is wide, despite being a small country; So far, 53 native freshwater gastropod species, 46 terrestrial and 41 bivalve species have been recorded.
Native mammals represent approximately 2% of global diversity and less than 8% of neotropical mammalian richness. Of the total number of mammals, 79 species of continental mammals and 31 species of cetaceans.
Reptile species are distributed in 22 families and 50 genera, representing 0.74% of known reptile species in the world and 4.5% of those recorded in South America.
Some species, such as the alligator (Caiman latirostris), is hunted throughout the national territory; in the north of the country the local population consumes its meat.
Regarding birds, in Uruguay there are many of the threatened species that exist in the world, for example: yellow cardinal (Gubernatrix cristata), the large white widow (Heteroxolmis dominicanus), the white-breasted capuchin (Sporophila palustris), the gray beret capuchin (S. cinnamomea), the pampean loica (Sturnella defilippii), the Dragon (Xanthopsar flavus), among others.
Among the country’s fish species are mojarras, dientudos, tarariras, piranhas, tarpon, dorado, catfish and old water, among others. Some of them, such as the tarpon, the vogue, the tararira (Hopliass pp.) and the yellow catfish (Pimelodus maculatus) are a fishing resource.
In Uruguay, fishermen use simple techniques and rely on manual labor to fish. Fishing productivity varies as it is highly dependent on weather conditions and the availability of fish.
land use
In Uruguay, primary activities represent only 8% of the country’s GDP, this figure is lower compared to other Latin American countries.
This makes it easier for per capita income to be slightly higher, since it is common for countries whose economy depends solely on the primary sector to be poorer than those where the primary sector is not the main factor in GDP (Figure 2).
Uruguay has greatly benefited from the high price of food materials, since agriculture and livestock represent the main productive use given to the country’s soils.
The main agricultural products are wheat, corn and soybeans, and in terms of livestock production, the main products are bovine and ovine meat.
However, the alteration and destruction of the habitat due to urbanization and certain agricultural practices, such as the use of pesticides and deforestation, has been one of the main factors in the decline of species.
Fertilized pastures are the main means to increase the production and export of Uruguayan cattle. The introduction of fertilized grass-legume pastures increased livestock yields by about 18% between 1961 and 1975.
Due to the effect of grazing, the fields of Uruguay tend to be made up of herbaceous vegetation with a predominance of grass and a low proportion of scrub or shrubs. The original vegetation in the Uruguayan fields was the grassland grazed by native herbivores.
These were displaced by cattle, which currently continue to largely maintain the diversity of native herbaceous species. It has been shown that if cattle are removed, herbaceous diversity tends to decrease.
Forestry activity in Uruguay consists of the monoculture of exotic species (Pinus spp. and Eucalyptus spp..). This activity affects native plants by substituting natural vegetation for forest cultivation.
The populations of terrestrial vertebrates and gastropods that live associated with scree and meadows are also affected.
Ecotourism
Ecotourism in the country is an important activity because it involves the use of the natural environment; This industry reaches a maximum of 90,000 tourists a year who visit protected areas.
In addition, since 2013 Uruguay has been part of the global network of geoparks promoted by UNESCO, which includes two areas of the National System of Protected Areas.
Although ecotourism does not represent an extractive activity of natural resources, it should be noted that the increase in these tourist areas and urbanization in general produce great environmental changes, sometimes negative, such as habitat fragmentation and disturbances in the ecosystem.
mining and energy
Although the country is small, it has a significant industrial minerals sector, including basalt, dolomite, feldspar, gypsum, limestone, marl, quartz, and sand.
Ornamental rocks are also produced, such as flagstones, granite and marble. In addition, it is a major producer of cement, construction materials, and semi-precious stones, such as agate and amethyst, for jewelry.
Uruguay has no fossil fuel resources and only a small amount of hydroelectric power, so it is dependent on imports to meet its energy needs. In this sense, Uruguay imports close to 42 thousand barrels per day for consumption.
References
Aldabe J, Arballo E, Caballero-Sadi D, Claramunt S, Cravino J & Rocca P. (2013). Birds. Pp. 149-173, in: Soutullo A, C Clavijo & JA Martínez-Lanfranco (eds.). Priority species for conservation in Uruguay. Vertebrates, continental molluscs and vascular plants. snap/dinama/mvotma ydicyt/mec, Montevideo. 222pp
Lanzilotta B. and G. Zunino. (2015), Uruguay+25 Natural resources: implications for growth in Uruguay. Astur Foundation. South Network. p.32
Lovell S. Jarvis. (1981) Predicting the Diffusion of Improved Pastures in Uruguay. American Journal of Agricultural Economics Vol. 63, No. 3 (Aug., 1981), pp. 495-502
Velasco, P. (2001). The Mineral Industries of Paraguay and Uruguay. Minerals Yearbook. Volume III. Area Reports: International.
Szteren Diana Páez Enrique (2002) Predation by southern sea lions (Otaria flavescens) on artisanal fishing catches in Uruguay. Marine and Freshwater Research 53, 1161-1167.
Guerrero, RA, Acha, EM, Framin, MB, & Lasta, CA (1997). Physical oceanography of the Río de la Plata Estuary, Argentina. Continental Shelf Research, 17(7), 727-742.