**2. Environmental characterization of census areas**

Argentina's Arid Diagonal is defined by climatic-geographical aspects as an arid strip of latitudinal distribution that includes cold deserts (high Andean and Patagonian) and warm ones on the eastern Andean slope in the shadow of rains. The typification of mesic-aridic soils in the high Andes and Patagonia and thermo-aridic in low Andean pockets and plains and the phytogeographic and syntaxonomic diversity give it an identity that differentiates it from the rest of the dry areas of the world. These aspects also allow Arid Diagonal to be granted the condition of bio-climate entity [5].

Argentina's Arid Diagonal [5] (**Figure 1**) is defined as referring exclusively to the distribution in Argentina of the South American Arid Diagonal. It extends through 17° latitude between 27° and 44°S, south of 45°S (**Figure 1**), and precipitation is from the Pacific and occurs throughout the year. From the particularities, it is characterized by two climatic regimes: Tropical to the north and Mediterranean to the south of 35°S and in the high mountain range, determined by the influence of the anticyclones of the Atlantic and the Pacific, by the climate of mesic-aridic soil in the high Andes and Patagonia and thermal-aridic in the foothills and plains. On the other hand, Diagonal Árida Argentina includes six associated phytogeographic regions: Altoandina, Puna, Payunia, Patagonia, Cardonal, and Mount [5]. By relating the regimes to the soils and the phytogeographic regions present, the cold and warm deserts that comprise it can be recognized: cold deserts (Altoandino, Puna, Payunia, and Patagonia) and hot deserts (Cardonal and Mount).
