| Uruguay | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Location | Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||
| National websites | http://www.presidencia.gub.uy/ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | 2715
M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007 |
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| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | Agriculture, Cattle and Fish Ministry of Uruguay | ||||||||||||||||||
| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | REDES
(Friends of the Earth)
Defensa 1684, 11200 Montevideo, Uruguay Tel: (598-2) 409 54 23, fax: 402 87 99 |
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| Major Natural Resources | Uruguay is blessed with many natural resources. Many parts of Uruguay have very fertile farmland, which leads to the growing of many different types of food plants, such as rice, wheat and corn. Together, the agricultural sector makes up 10% of the GDP. Uruguay also contains many waterways, which gives the possibility for hydroelectric power generators and many different fisheries. Hydroelectric production however, could destroy certain ecosystems of the rivers in which they dam. Also, according to the CIA website Uruguay also contains deposits of minor minerals. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | Uruguay, like many other countries, is having trouble merging human needs with environmental concerns. One current issue is rice farming, and the amount of land it takes up. Rice fields, which need to be flooded to cultivate, often are developed over wetlands. Also, Uruguay suffers from water pollution from its meat packing/tanner industry. This in effect hurts the fishing industry, which is one of the more lucrative in the country. Finally, in the last 10 years, 10% of Uruguay’s forests have been lost due to logging efforts. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Land area | 173,620 sq km | CIA Website | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of forest | 813 ha | World Resources Institute Webpage | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | (Sq. km) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters | 2,600 sq km | CIA Website | |||||||||||||||||
| Population: | Density: | ( /Sq. km) | |||||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels: | Fraction of land area protected (%): | 0.2% | WRI Website | ||||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas | List from Information Center for the Environment | Information Center for the Environment | |||||||||||||||||
| Endemic Species |
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World Resources 1996-97 | |||||||||||||||||
| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Extinct Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendices | CITES-listed Species Database | ||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation | |||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | Law of Evaluation of Environmental Impact -
protect the biological diversity of Uruguay |
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| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | View partial list of laws | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to CITES | April 2, 1975 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | September 22, 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | yes, 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | no | ||||||||||||||||||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | no | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
Antarctic Treaty |
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| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fisheries | 123, 382 metric tons of fish were processed in 1996, making one of the bigger industries in the country. | FAOSTAT database | |||||||||||||||||
| Forestry / deforestation | There is now 657 acres of Natural Forest Area in Uruguay, about a 10% decreas from 10 years ago. But the government enviornmental agency does not currently consider deforestation a problem. | WRI Website | |||||||||||||||||
| Ecotourism | |||||||||||||||||||
| Trade in wildlife products | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hunting | Click here for info on a possible reinstatement of sea lion hunting. | One World News | |||||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | Click here for info on using redistributing the country's water supply | One World News | |||||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | Severe air pollution, especially in the capital due to overcrowding, industry, and obselete city buses. | WRI State of Environment Report | |||||||||||||||||
| Water pollution | One of the major problem in Uruguay is the lack of places to dump or store hazerdous or toxic wastes. Instead, they end up in the country's water supply, either through rivers or the ocean.For example, click here for a discription of the Rio Plate, which flows right by the capital. | Laws prohibiting dumping of wastes in the country's water. | |||||||||||||||||
| Development activities | Farmland and ranches are crowding against environmental areas | TED cases | |||||||||||||||||
| Introduced species | |||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | |||||||||||||||||||
| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | |||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | |||||||||||||||||||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Jun Tokeshi as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA