The perfect conditions of the park enable the survival of species such as the 47 types of Andean Plateau birds that live within the protected area. Generally, the Nevado Tres Cruces National Park is divided into two areas: 

* Santa Rosa Lagoon and Maricunga Salt Plain: this section covers a total surface area of 46 944 hectares.

* Negro Francisco’s Lagoon: it spans a total of12 137 hectares. 

In1996, both of the lagoons were listed as " ramsar places", which means that they include wetlands that are considered of international importance in the conservation of aquatic birds. 

The flora in this area conforms to the vegetation found in water plains and wetlands characteristic of high altitude zones. Quite the opposite is true of the fauna, as a wide range can be seen around the edges of the lagoons and salt plain. The most common birds are three different species of flamingos, the juarjual duck, piuquenes, pollitos de mar and taguas and in terms of mammals you will find vicuñas, guanacos and culpeos.