Laboratorios Naturales SALARES is a collaborative research and science communication initiative focused on the salt flats of northern Chile. The Nodo Laboratorio Natural SALARES project was awarded to the University of Antofagasta and funded by Chile’s National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) for 2024–2025. It promotes the study of salt-flat ecosystems as natural laboratories, bringing together interdisciplinary research, innovation, and public engagement while emphasizing interculturality, gender equity, decentralization, and human rights.

The initiative prioritizes the Salar de Surire, Salar de Huasco, Salar de Atacama, Salar de Aguas Calientes 4, Salar de Gorbea, and Salar de Maricunga. Its work addresses biodiversity, geology, hydrology, biocultural heritage, and sustainability, while encouraging collaboration among Indigenous communities, universities, and public and private organizations. SALARES provides educational and research resources, including technical fact sheets, hydrological maps, videos, talks, workshops, a scientific literature repository, publications, and an interactive StoryMap. It also develops diagnostic materials, stakeholder mapping, and a participatory roadmap to strengthen knowledge, support evidence-based decisions, and contribute to the responsible management and protection of these distinctive ecosystems.