Publication - 5 January, 2004
The Aysén Region of Chile's Central Patagonia encompasses an area of nearly 11 million hectares (about 110,000 km2), an area about the size of Austria and Netherlands combined. It currently safeguards five million hectares of native forest, more than one million of wetlands, and almost two million hecatres of glaciers. This globally unique region currently has the majority of native forests in Chile including two million hectares of ancient intact forests representing 23% of all ancient forest area in Chile.The population of the region is less than 100,000 people and is sparsely populated. This helps maintains the region’s natural, cultural and tradition values. For these outstanding attributes local residents have declared Aysén a “Reserve of Life” and are promoting an alternative regional strategy promoting sustainable activities such as tourism, fishing and organic farming.In 1995, Aysén came under serious threat by Noranda, a leading international mining and metals company with a notoriously poor environmental record. Greenpeace has actively supported the campaign work of local Chilean NGOs by helping to create local and international momentum opposing the Alumysa project.