Laguna Blanca (Paraguay)
| Laguna Blanca | |
|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 23°48′48″S 56°17′42″W / 23.81333°S 56.29500°WCoordinates: 23°48′48″S 56°17′42″W / 23.81333°S 56.29500°W |
| Basin countries | Paraguay |
| Surface area | 1.47 km2 (0.57 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 7 m (23 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 150 m (490 ft) |
Laguna Blanca is an ecological and tourist location of Paraguay that comprehends an agricultural and cattle establishment, with a lake that is settled over calcareous sand, fact that makes the water completely transparent and apt for diving.
It is located in San Pedro Department, in the district Santa Rosa del Aguaray, about 28 kilometers east of the city of the same name.
The surface of the lake is about 147 hectares. It is considered by specialists to be the only natural lake of the country, because it does not have a thermostatic stratification, a depth of more than 7 meters or a source of its own. Because the lake is mostly spring-fed (the stream near the resort flows out, not in) its water is pure and drinkable without treatment.
There are private properties and a state reserve next to the lake. The private properties dedicate to agricultural and cattle activities. The state reserve, initially with a surface of 70 hectares, was occupied by rurals and even sold in parts to businessman of the region, so there is left just a small part of the surface that limits with the lake now.
It has been determined as a priority area for conservation in the Plan Estratégico del Sistema Nacional de Áreas Silvestres Protegidas (SINASIP) (Law 352/94). Nowadays it is in process of being declared Natural Patrimony of Paraguay, with IDEA, Instituto de Desarrollo y Economía Ambiental) as its sponsor. It would be the second natural resource in obtaining this declaration: the first one was the Jejuí River.
This is one of the most studied places by national modern ornithology, due to the presence of great variety of native species of birds. Until this moment have been registered 283 species in Laguna Blanca, which constitutes one of the most representative places of the ecosystem called Cerrado in Paraguay. It is only comparable with San Luis National Park and the Mbaracayú Forest Natural Reserve. The Cerrado in Laguna Blanca is excellent; the remaining forest is relatively speaking still complete and includes a good number of water sources.
For a more complete list of birds and a bit of information about the resort:
About the fish species, there are fishes of small size such as pirañas, tare’yi and a variety of small piky.
According to the Mines and Energy Ministry of Paraguay, as well as the Environment Secretary, the entire area around the lake is area of reload of the Guaraní Aquifer, because the permeable soil allows filtering and feed the water reserve of this aquifer with the rain waters.
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Wikipedia