Although scientists and some policy makers in Argentina are aware of the relevance of sustainability criteria (having a safe food supply; maintaining biodiversity, clean water, and air by minimizing emissions and contamination), sustainability is focused mainly on the preservation of natural resources, that is, diminishing the impact of erosion and recovering degraded soils and rangelands. Unfortunately, most of what is known about the preservation of natural resources is still declamatory, and concrete action to apply sustainability criteria to beef cattle systems remains within the academic and policy planning arenas