Capítulo 10: La actividad pecuaria e influencia de la población urbana en las cuencas aledañas a la ciudad de Mendoza

EDUARDO GRUNWALDT; JOSÉ HERNANDEZ Y ALBERTO I. J. VICH

Amenazas naturales de origen hídrico en el centro-oeste árido de Argentina. Diagnóstico y estrategias para su mitigación y control en el Gran San Juan y Gran Mendoza

Zeta Editores

Lugar: Mendoza; Año: 2010; p. 193 - 210

Capítulo 10 LA ACTIVIDAD PECUARIA E INFLUENCIA DE LA POBLACIÓN URBANA EN LAS CUENCAS ALEDAÑAS A LA CIUDAD DE MENDOZA   LIVESTOCK ACTIVITY AND INFLUENCE OF THE URBAN POPULATION OF THE CITY OF MENDOZA ON THE NEARBY BASINS   Eduardo Grunwaldt, José Hernández y Alberto I. J. Vich     Abstract: The main hydrographic river basins of the North Oasis are located to the west of the Great Mendoza, very close to the urban sprawl. These river basins provide basic natural resources for multiple activities like, for example, the use of the pasture to rear livestock. In some cases, the evil use of the vegetation and the development of other human activities, in addition to the physical characteristics of the piedemonte, contribute to the complex erosive processes. The urbanization in progress determines an evident anthrop pressure on the piedemonte area. In the last decades, the growth of the population has been a decisive factor in the incorporation of a great amount of hectares from the river basins to the urban area, without considering facilities or other adequate equipment, thus originating serious problems of environmental deterioration. Among the detected problems: cutting of vegetal species for firewood; earthwork performed in order to obtain material for building; accumulation and selection of waste in dumpsites; illegal possession of land; deterioration of the ground by presence of motorcycles and ORVs; raising pigs with garbage and without any sanitary control; a decrease in the population of herbivores as a result of rustling, all of which result in a poor use of pastures and their consequent fires due to the accumulation of biomass.