Ambientes de las Salinas Grandes de Catamarca, Argentina

at south of the province of catamarca there exist the saline basin called salinas grandes shared with the provinces of la rioja, córdoba and santiago del estero, habitat of numerous plants and animals from the phytogeographical provinces of chaco and monte. vegetation, soil and water constitute important capitals for the human local communities. the objective of this work was to identify homogenous areas using as differentiation criteria topographic, edaphological and vegetation aspects, this to establish management and usage forms of the natural resources. the methodology used for the determination of the subenvironments integrated remote sensing techniques, fieldwork and interviews with the local population. three environments were identified, nominated "los llanos", "los altos" and "peridomestic areas"; "los llanos" were subdivided in six sub environments and "los altos" in three.