The natural recovery of the Pampa del Leoncito plain could take years.
The protected area in northern Argentina, located at 1,500 meters above sea level, was seriously damaged after a driver entered with his 4×4 truck, violating the traffic ban.
The vehicle traveled approximately 1.5 kilometers before becoming trapped at the scene.
La Pampa del Leoncito, also called Barreal Blanco, is in the department of Calingasta, in the southwest of the province of San Juan.
The events occurred on Saturday, August 8, after 8:00 p.m. local time.
After visiting the area, the mayor of Calingasta, Sebastián Carbajal, expressed his indignation and stated that the environmental damage could take up to 100 years to reverse.
In a video published on social networks, the authority reported the deep ruts left by the driver, identified as Agustín Añó, 46 years old.
“Look at the groove, the damage it did,” said the authority. “Unfortunately this is an immeasurable damage to this heritage,” he added.
According to local media, Añó entered the vehicle until it became wedged. When trying to get out, he retreated several meters, causing even more damage to the ground.
Not being able to move the vehicle, the driver would have taken out a motorcycle that he had in the pickup of his truck to travel outside the place.
The Pampa del Leoncito is a wide whitish plain, which corresponds to the bed of an ancient lake that dried up thousands of years ago.
The area attracts tourism due to the exceptional landscapes of the Andes mountain range that it offers and its privileged conditions for astronomical observation.
BBC Mundo contacted the local authorities, who in response sent the images that accompany this article.
“He alleged that he had an unforeseen event due to dusk and water”
The case generated outrage among locals and the authorities have asked the justice system to apply sanctions against Añó, who is a doctor by profession.
The driver had to appear in court on Tuesday, August 11, after the municipality filed a complaint.
In this context, the 46-year-old man stated that he was unaware of the access restrictions to the plain, alluding to a lack of signage.
According to local media, his defense would also have maintained that the conditions of the terrain, where there were accumulations of water, took him by surprise.
Likewise, he would have pointed to darkness as a factor that influenced his behavior.
"He alleged that he had an unforeseen event due to the nightfall and the water. But it is not difficult to realize and he is also knowledgeable about the area. He crossed it around 8 p.m. on Saturday," explained Calingasta Justice of the Peace, Andrés Troche, who is investigating the incident.
The jurist ordered that the vehicle not be removed from the site to avoid further damaging the land.
"Regarding the truck, I ordered it to stay in the same place it is because it is a clay plain, with the situation that it is full of water due to snowfall and rain. So, when the truck entered it has buried itself around 25 centimeters and any maneuver they do to try to extract it generates a type of suction on the surface," explained the judge, quoted by Infobae.
“Any tool they try to use runs the risk of getting buried and causing other, even more serious damage,” he emphasized.
Troche requested the intervention of the Heritage Directorate to evaluate “the existence of the damage, its severity and the conditions or possibilities of extraction.”
Authorities have confirmed that access to the area will remain restricted at least until the end of August.
