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Special Report |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| December 18, 2004 |
Patagonia as a UNESCO World Heritage Site Campaign |
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| Birds eye view of the mountains in Patagonia |
Patagonia is known as ‘the last place on earth’. It covers 1,100,000 square kilometers of the southern tip of the South American, stretching over parts of Argentina and Chile. It is three times the size of Japan or the size of Holland, Belgium and Switzerland put together. It makes up a third of Chile’s land mass and is sometimes cited as a “treasure box of life”. Since the navigator Ferdinand Magellan first “discovered” Patagonia in 1520, generations of international visitors have travelled from afar to witness this diverse, dramatic, untouched scenery situated at the far end of the world. |
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| Glaciers and mountains pass by the ship |
Expansive mountain formations, crowded with glaciers, lakes, fjords, ancient forests and endemic species of wildlife, birds and sea creatures passed by either side of Peace Boat as we sailed through the Magellan straits and the Shoal and Gray passes. Three days of feeling the fresh, chilled air of this unspoiled natural wonder rejuvenated all onboard and made them feel the importance of nature. |
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| Rodrigo Mellado |
Compounding the effects of this experience were the onboard lectures given by guest speaker Rodrigo Mellado, a coordinator from CODEFF (Commitee of the Defense of Fauna and Flora), campaigning to make Patagonia a world heritage site. CODEFF is the Chilean affiliate of Friends of the Earth, which, since 1968, has been heavily involved with wildlife protection and preservation of the eco system and is the oldest environmental organization in Latin America. |
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| Some participants braving a bath at an outdoor temperature of 1 degree |
In 2002, Antonio Horvath started a campaign with Peace Boat and Friends of the Earth to submit a request to the Chilean government to appeal to the UNESCO world heritage congress to make Patagonia a world heritage site. However in order for the international UNESCO general assembly to agree to this proposal, there must be enough proof that Patagonia is of exceptional, universal value. |
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| The landscape of Patagonia |
So why make Patagonia a UNESCO world heritage site?
The most unique aspect about Patagonia is that it fits in with the criteria for UNESCO as both a natural and cultural world heritage site. From an environmental point of view Patagonia is mostly flatlands, forests and shrubs, and because of this many endemic species can be found in this natural habitat: foxes, ostriches, sea lions, deer and pumas. Unfortunately many of these animals are exported and sold on the black market for chemical, commercial and pharmaceutical purposes, such as sea lions for cosmetic ingredients and foxes for fur. This puts the local species in danger and destroys the natural ecosystem. Deforestation is also a huge problem for the environment of Patagonia. The endangered ancient Alerce tree species, which can have a life span of up to 3500 years, has been protected since 1972, however major concerns for the logging of the unprotected Lenga trees pose a threat to the forests of Patagonia. |
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| A heart over the passing glacier |
Patagonia also has an abundance of glaciers, fjords and lakes, which house some of the purest water sources and is the source of nine percent of the world’s water. In the last ten years the amount of ice that has deteriorated from the glaciers due to global warming has tripled, causing sea levels to rise, which in turn increases flooding across the globe. The rate at which the Patagonian ice caps are melting is three times faster than the glaciers in Alaska because of the effects of global climate change.
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| Traditional Onas face painting – meaning welcome |
From a cultural and historical perspective, Patagonia needs to preserve the imprints of its indigenous population and historical monuments. Between 1520 and 1860 the indigenous tribes of Patagonia, the Tehuelches, Onas and Yaganes, were wiped out by the European invasion. To date there are only two remaining Patagonian indigenous people and they come from the Yamanas tribe, which inhabited the fjord areas of Patagonia. The rock paintings, carvings and cave arrow holes are relics and evidence of their existence and are an anthropological marvel which deserves world attention. |
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| Street performance in Valparaiso |
CODEFF hopes that by making the Chilean territory of Patagonia a World Heritage Site, Argentina will follow suit and the whole surface area will be protected land. Foreign mineral investment has so far been prevented in Chilean Patagonia, however this does not mean that very lucrative offers from transnational corporations are stopping. The whole area is constantly under threat. Rather than continuously having to fight against multinational companies, making Patagonia a World Heritage Site will help sustain one of the most biologically diverse, untouched, preserved manifestations of nature in the world today. Prohibiting privatization and exploitation of Patagonia for transnational consumer purposes recognizes the universal value of these finite resources and natural beauty for the whole world. Through onboard campaigning and the organisation of a press conference and street performance in the center of Valparaiso, Peace Boat and CODEFF managed to get more signatures and raise awareness about the seriousness of this issue.
If you are interested in supporting this campaign, please visit –
www.codeff.cl.
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