Editing Andean flamingo (section)

===Human disturbance===
Not only are the flamingos' offspring numbers diminished by mining activities, but they are also affected by the [[egg (biology)|egg]] collection by locals. This illegal hunting has increased over time due to an increase in international demand for flamingo eggs.<ref name=bucher1992/> Poaching is conducted by organized groups within Chile; the group members trap the flamingos and export them to Europe, the United States, and other overseas destinations.<ref name=bucher1992/> The exportation process is conducted mainly in the [[Altiplano]], which is an area that has deep cultural roots in egg poaching.<ref name=bucher1992/> During the reproductive season, local families also take eggs from flamingo nests.<ref name=ugarte2000/> The removal of eggs can disturb the nesting process and cause the flamingo to abandon its nest, even if some eggs remain.<ref name=ugarte2000/> Egg removal might be acceptable if the local populations were malnourished, but studies on the diets of the local people show no protein deficiency.<ref name=ugarte2000/> In the area of study, the common people raise llamas and alpacas, which offer a higher content of protein than flamingo eggs.<ref name=ugarte2000/>

Alongside mining activities, unregulated tourism has taken its toll on the flamingos' habitat. Over time, numerous [[peat]] [[bogs]] have developed throughout the land.<ref name=ugarte2000/> These bogs gradually build up and begin to overflow into the lake.<ref name=ugarte2000/> When the bogs enter the lake, they decrease the surface area of the water and prevent the flamingos from entering the lake to feed.<ref name=ugarte2000/>
As a result of the mining and the tourism, new [[infrastructure]], such as highways, are being built into the [[Andes]].<ref name=ugarte2000/> Highways now run alongside the flamingos' habitat.<ref name=ugarte2000/> With the addition of these roads, accessibility to the flamingos' habitat increases, leading to more commercial mining and tourism, which in turn results in detrimental effects to the Andean flamingo population.<ref name=ugarte2000/> The development of new infrastructure has caused severe fragmentation of the lake, diminishing the biodiversity, and increasing the possibility of extinction for all species.<ref name=ugarte2000/>

The demand for surface and underground water, energy production, and transportation, as well as unregulated tourism, have all increased in the last two decades. These increases were documented to be most significant in Chile, the main location for Andean flamingo breeding colonies.<ref name=caziani2007/> As a consequence, these areas are concentrated with toxic compounds due to mineral and [[hydrocarbon]] exploration.<ref name=caziani2007/> Since the 1980s, the number of successful breeding colonies and the total production of chicks of Andean flamingos declined.<ref name=caziani2007/> As a result, the Andean flamingo is a threatened species.