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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE April 4, 2008
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| March 15, 2008 |
Punta Arenas, Chile: Environmental Threats as Opportunities in the Magallanes |
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The terrestrial and marine ecosystems of the Chilean sub-Antarctic region provide homes for a plethora of wildlife, including this wetland resident |
Human development threatens to overwhelm the unique and fragile sub-Antarctic ecosystem of Patagonia, a large geographic area in the southernmost regions of Chile and Argentina. Home to an abundance of flora and fauna, Patagonia also contains the world’s southernmost permanent human settlements. After sailing north from the Antarctic Peninsula and through the Tierra del Fuego, Peace Boat called to the port of Punta Arenas, located on the Strait of Magellan in Chilean Patagonia. A group of participants keen to learn about environmental conservation efforts in the Patagonia region joined a Study Tour organized by the Omora Foundation and Omora Ethnobotanical Park, a non-governmental organization working to build symbiotic relationships between humans and the natural environment in Chilean Patagonia. |
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| Omora representative Christopher pointed out a type of edible berry in the Magallanes forest for participants to sample |
Participants first visited the University of the Magallanes, where they learned about Omora’s conservation activities in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, one of the world’s 37 most pristine remaining wilderness areas. Historically significant as a navigational landmark during the age of explorers, more ships have sunk off the perilous Cape Horn than anywhere else in the world. From a cultural perspective, Cape Horn holds special importance as the home of the indigenous Yaghan people, who are thought to have arrived to Cape Horn over 7500 years ago. Sadly, of the 70 Yaghan people living today, only one can speak the Yaghan language. This enforced the importance of protecting the world’s remaining natural and cultural treasures for participants, and many were reminded of the identity struggle of the indigenous Ainu people in northern Japan. |
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Development and industrial pollution threaten the Tres Puentes urban wetland area, but conservation efforts have the support of Punta Arenas residents |
Participants next had the opportunity to visit the Tres Puentes urban wetlands, where they saw a number of migrating ducks and water birds. The wetlands are located in the center of Punta Arenas, and pollution from nearby industrial areas has contaminated this critical habitat for migratory birds. Privately owned and scheduled for development, there is no legislature in place to protect this valuable habitat and oasis of natural beauty in the middle of the city. Punta Arenas residents have protested against the pollution of the wetlands, and are making efforts to protect this special area from further destruction. |
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| Tour participants had the chance to stretch their sea legs during a two-hour hike through the Magallanes Forest Reserve |
After a traditional Chilean meal of Paile de Marisco, a seafood soup, and Curanto, a steamed dish of clams, chicken, beef, and potatoes; participants left the city to explore the Magallanes Forest Reserve. The lush green and cool quiet of the forest was a refreshing change for Peace Boat participants after their voyage through the forbidding, frozen Antarctic. While hiking through the Magallanes forest, an Omora representative taught participants about the biologic diversity of the area. In contrast to the mere three species of trees in the Magallanes region, over 700 species of moss, 1000 species of lichen, and 300 species of liverwort create an inviting green carpet of mottled hues on the Magallanes’ forest floor and tree trunks. This “miniature forest” plays an important role in the formation of new soil and in the conservation of forest biodiversity, and acted as an important reminder to participants that our actions affect more of the natural world than we might realize at first glance. |
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Commonly known as Old Man’s Beard, this is one of approximately 2000 different known species of bryophytes in the Magallanes Region |
Looking toward the future, people need to consider current threats to the natural world from both local and global perspectives in order to take appropriate action in response to the needs of our earth. One tour participant noted that the natural miracle of symbiosis in nature might hold the answer to finding harmony between humans and nature, saying that exposure to this miracle through experiences like the Magallanes tour might provide the catalyst for the recreation of a similar relationship between humans and nature. Additionally, she expressed a sense of appreciation for the opportunity to turn her eyes anew toward environmental conservation, reinterpreting environmental threats as opportunities to make positive change.
To learn more about the Omora Foundation and the Omora Ethnobotanical Park, please visit: www.omora.org
To learn more about the University of the Magallanes in Punta Arenas, please visit: www.umag.cl/williams |
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