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Carambola Portal: The Hidden Access to Discover the Iberá Wetlands
🇦🇷 Argentina /Culture & Society

Carambola Portal: The Hidden Access to Discover the Iberá Wetlands

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • The Carambola portal offers a unique, intimate access to the Iberá wetlands in Corrientes, Argentina.
  • Local guides share their connection to the land, emphasizing hospitality and local identity over tourism.
  • The Iberá park protects diverse flora and fauna, including reintroduced species like the marsh deer and jaguar.

The Carambola portal provides an intimate gateway to the vast Iberá wetlands, offering a different pace compared to more frequented access points like Colonia Carlos Pellegrini. Located near Concepción del Yaguareté Corá, a historic town in Corrientes, this access point allows visitors to discover the wetlands through the eyes of local residents, preserving a sense of personal connection.

In Corrientes, we don't call the people who come to know us tourists; we call them visits. Visits are blessed because they generate local development.

— Juan Ramón MoreiraA local park ranger explaining the community's perspective on visitors at the Iberá Interpretation Center.

Concepción itself embodies the spirit of Corrientes, characterized by the warmth of its people and a strong sense of local identity. Juan Ramón Moreira, a park ranger who also leads guided tours at the Iberá Interpretation Center, prefers to call visitors 'visitas' (visits) rather than 'turistas' (tourists), highlighting their value to local development. He explains that Iberá is not just nature but also identity, a sentiment echoed throughout the community.

Moreira shared that the Iberá park spans 1.3 million hectares, with nearly 600,000 hectares designated as provincial park and 158,000 hectares as national park, thanks to land donations from Tompkins Conservation and Rewilding Argentina. The area is a sanctuary for over four thousand species of flora and fauna, including iconic wildlife such as the giant anteater, maned wolf, and marsh deer. The successful reintroduction of jaguars, with approximately 50 individuals now in the province, is a testament to conservation efforts.

Iberá is more than nature; it is identity.

— Juan Ramón MoreiraEmphasizing the deep connection between the landscape and the local culture.

He also clarified that Iberá is a wetland, encompassing various water bodies like esteros, lakes, rivers, and lagoons, rather than solely an 'estero' (swamp). This distinction emphasizes the ecological richness and complexity of the area. The connection between the landscape and local identity is a recurring theme, evident in conversations, cuisine, and the welcoming nature of the community, as experienced during a traditional dinner organized by Iberá chefs using regional products and recipes.

If I call it an estero, I minimize it.

— Juan Ramón MoreiraCorrecting the common misconception about the nature of Iberá, clarifying it is a complex wetland system.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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