Dedicate A Tree : Chile Conservation Project
| Project Title : |
Regeneration of monkey puzzle forests in Southern Chile |
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| Location: |
Villa Araucaria, Chile, South America |
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| Project Aims: |
Conserving one of the world's most ancient and charismatic tree species within its native habitat |
 
Dedicate A Tree in Chile now! |
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Read more about the background to this conservation project:
The Monkey Puzzle tree has been around for millions of years; it can live for up to one thousand years, reach heights of 100ft and grow as far south as trees can grow, it survived the catastrophic event that wiped out the dinosaurs and resisted countless other climactic changes and mass extinctions over the centuries. No wonder perhaps that its such an odd looking tree; its had to be tough, tall and spiky to get this far. Described as many things between bizarre and beautiful its unique appearance has captured the hearts of gardeners making the Monkey Puzzle a common sight in many front gardens in the West. But in its native habitat of Southern Chile and Argentina the story is very different, with 50% original araucaria forest cover lost since the Europeans first arrived Monkey Puzzle is struggling to survive.
In 1990 the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture declared the species a national monument, prohibiting the logging of wild specimens, but due to a lack of resources to police protected areas enforcing the law has been tough. Between 2001 and 2002 more than 24.000 ha of monkey puzzle forests were destroyed, mostly within State protected areas. Now it seems the final nail in the araucaria coffin is about to be struck with widespread calls for the protection law to be lifted allowing exploitation of this threatened species to recommence. In response to the threats the forestry department of the University Austral, Chile (UACH) together with the Catholic University of Temuco (UCT) have been carrying out essential conservation action in defence of this charismatic species. The team have identified a unique stand of araucaria found clinging on to existence in the heart of Chiles vast pine plantations in the community of Villa Araucaria along the coastal areas of Chiles ninth region. UACH and UCT have revealed that this coastal population is genetically distinct, meaning that many thousands of years ago it was cut off from other stands in the region by a natural occurrence, possibly a glacial movement along the central valley, making this particular stand ecologically unique. For the local people the uniqueness of this population could bring economic benefits through ecotourism; for the species as a whole, this site represents a flagship for its survival.
   
Photography - C. Echeverria
By supporting the Monkey Puzzle restoration programme through Trees2reForest your donation will help to ensure the continuation of UACH and UCTs crucial work. Specific activities that need to be carried out include:
- Fine scale mapping of the species range to identify small-sized populations that require urgent restoration measures Urgent restoration activities within the Coastal populations including maintenance of a tree nursery within the Villa Araucaria community and tree planting Education and training on the conservation and propagation of A. araucana for local people Land purchase to establish local community forest management projects
- Campaigning for the expansion of the Nahuelbuta National Park and the development of new protected areas
Click here to dedicate a tree in Chile. By dedicating
a tree as a unique gift idea, you are helping support vital
conservation projects made possible by Tree2mydoor's partnership with
The Global Trees Campaign named 'Tree2reforest'. You can find out more
about the great work carried out by The Global Trees Campaign by
clicking here www.globaltrees.org
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