Background - August 1, 2005
Beyond the tropics, rainforests are a rarity, but the Valdivia ancient forest in Chile is the second largest temperate rainforest on the planet. Despite its isolation, the Chilean jungle is not safe from destruction.
Clearcut area in central Chile.
These forests have a unique spectrum of life and unusually
highbiodiversity for its temperate climate. Some trees have been
found thatare more than 3600 years old.
But most of the forest has already been cut down or damaged, and
thelast intact areas are threatened by the timber industry. Only a
quarterof the remaining forests remains in a relatively undisturbed
conditionwith at least 10,000 hectares. These forests are at
greatest threatalong the coastal mountain ranges and in the
northern region where onlya few of the ancient forests remain,
mostly unprotected.
Already over 10 percent of Chile's forest has been converted to
plantations, most of which are dominated by exotic species.
copyright 2002 Greenpeace/Global Forest Watch
Potentially intact ancient
forest, >50,000 heactares
Other forests
Sources: Based on information
generatedby the project "Official Land Register and Evaluation of
the NativeVegetative Resources of Chile", Conama. Birf. Uach. Puc.
Uct 1999,University of Maryland 2000