The existence and biological importance of Lake Salinas is among the principal reasons for the creation of the Salinas and Aguada Blanca Nature Reserve in the high plateau and southern Andes of southern Peru. Little has been done, however, to maintain and protect this reserve. The lake constitutes a vital area for several colonies of Chilean Flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis), Andean Flamingos (Phoenicoparrus andinus), and James Flamingos (Phoenicoparrus jamesi). Although their numbers vary during the year due to evaporation of surface water, these natural variations are being rapidly modified by human activities. The southeastern sector of lake is divided into 2 parts by a highway that exists for the extraction of borate from the lake. There is intense activity of machinery in this area, and the material of the lake bed is disturbed. Rural artisans exploit salt, which necessitates the creation of drying plots. The refuse from the adjacent communities is washed into the lake during the rainy season. The gathering of flamingo eggs and a certain degree of poaching constitute additional problems that affect Lake Salinas and the flamingos that reproduce there. These human disturbances urgently require that the Reserve's administration develop plans to minimize negative human impacts and to maintain the integrity of the lake and its biological assets.