The Area
The Biodiversity of the Valdivian Temperate Rainforest Ecoregion
The Temperate Rainforest Ecoregion of Chile and Argentina, also known as the Valdivian Ecoregion, is one of 238 globally important ecoregions identified by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).A Centre of biodiversity
The flora of the Valdivian Ecoregion is highly unique, and about 50% of the general represented here are endemic (occur nowhere else on earth). Some tree species found in the ecoregion are among the longest-lived in the world, for example the alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides), which can live to an age of over 3000 years and can reach up to 50 meters in height. There are also very unusual forest types found in the region, including the Coastal Olivillo (Aextoxicon punctatum) forest and the Araucaria (Araucaria araucana) or Monkey Puzzle Tree forest.The fauna of the ecoregion is similarly unique, and includes species such as the pudú (Pudu pudu), the world's smallest deer; the monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides), an ancient marsupial; the huillín (Lontra provocax) or river otter; the Darwin's fox (Pseudolopex fulvipes); and the Darwin's frog (Rhinoderma darwini) among many others.
A "forest frontier"
Most of the ecoregion has been identified by Conservation International (CI) as part one of the world's 25 "hotspots" for biodiversity conservation. BirdLife International has classified the ecoregion as a key "Endemic Bird Area", and the World Resources Institute (WRI) considers it a globally important "forest frontier".A study carried out with the involvement of almost 100 experts and over 18 institutions, supported by WWF specialists, described the biological and ecological diversity of the Valdivian Ecoregion with the aim of mitigating the loss of these forests and promoting their conservation. The study identified 69 priority zones linked by biological corridors, and analyzed both the threats to and the opportunities for conservation in the region.
