"The 133,000 hectares (328,000 acres) of pristine wilderness in the Cochamo Valley was bought for $78m (58m) after a grassroots campaign led by the NGO Puelo Patagonia, and the title to the wildlands was officially handed over to the Chilean nonprofit Fundacion Conserva Pucheguin on 9 December. The now-protected ecosystem is 383 times the size of Manhattan's Central Park, or 800 times as big as London's Regent's Park."
"The ancient forests hold groves of alerce trees that sprouted about 1,000BC, four centuries before the rise of the Roman empire. The newly acquired lands hold 11% of the remaining alerce forests on Earth. Logged for their solid, water-resistant trunk, alerce wood was fashioned into ship masts and telephone poles. The thick reddish bark on the alerce tree allows it to survive forest fires, droughts and 11ft of annual rainfall."
Local groups purchased 133,000 hectares of Cochamo Valley in Chilean Patagonia for $78m and transferred the title to Fundacion Conserva Pucheguin on 9 December to protect the land from logging, damming and unbridled development. The protected area contains waterfalls, emerald rivers, hummingbirds, condors and holds 11% of the world's remaining alerce forests, whose trees began growing around 1000 BC. Alerce wood was historically used for ship masts and telephone poles; its thick reddish bark helps it survive fires, drought and heavy rainfall. Communities, climbers and NGOs previously united to oppose hydroelectric and high-end development plans to preserve the valley's rural way of life.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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