Reserva Natural Formosa, Nature reserve in Departamento Bermejo, Argentina
Reserva Natural Formosa is a protected nature reserve in the southwest of Formosa Province, in the Bermejo Department of Argentina. The Bermejo River runs through the area, shaping a flat landscape of dry woodland, riverbank forest and open ground that is typical of the Semi-arid Chaco.
The University of Tucuman began studying the area in 1948 on land donated by a provincial governor, and researchers soon proposed setting it aside for conservation. The provincial government of Formosa officially created the reserve in 1968.
The reserve lies on the north bank of the Bermejo River, and the Sendero Monte Adentro has two stretches of 1,300 m and 2,000 m leading to a lookout over the riverbank vegetation of the Teuco River. The Mirador del Corte, on Provincial Route 9, looks onto the Madrejón del Corte, an abandoned channel of the Bermejo. Two camping areas, Sacha Camping and Camping Guaipo, and a native plant nursery stand inside the reserve.
The nearest town is Ingeniero Juárez, and a dirt road connects it to the reserve, though heavy rain can make that route difficult. Fill up with fuel before entering, as there are no service stations along the way.
The reserve protects the only free-living population of giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) remaining in Argentina, alongside a sizeable population of giant anteater. Its lower ground between the Bermejo and Teuquito rivers holds Argentina's only protected stand of palo santo (Bulnesia sarmientoi), a timber nearly wiped out elsewhere by the furniture trade.
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