World Land Trust Preserves Patagonian Coastal Steppe Lands
© Environment News Service (ENS) 2000
August 25, 2000
SUFFOLK, United Kingdom, August 25, 2000 (ENS) - The World Land Trust of the United Kingdom says it has raised funds to make a downpayment on more than 20,000 acres of spectacular and vital Patagonia Coastal Steppe land in Argentina.
The land is in the buffer zone of the Valdes Peninsula, which was recently declared a World Heritage Site, and is near the town of Puerto Madryn. The land is home to a complex ecosystem, including over 300 guanacos (wild llamas), Patagonian foxes, maras (Patagonian hares), hairy armadillos, rheas (large flightless birds), tortoises, burrowing parrots and at least two pumas.
The coastline supports an abundance of marine life, including sea lions, elephant seals, penguins, killer whales and right whales.
Steppe is the characteristic habitat of most of Patagonia, and is one of the largest single habitats in the world. None of the region is currently protected in National Parks or nature reserves. Most conservation efforts in the region have gone into protecting the more famous pampas habitats, or the rainforests of the Andes.
The Valdes Peninsula is an increasingly popular tourist destination both for Argentinean and international tourists.
Since 1999, the World Land Trust has been working to purchase a section of the coastal stepps and establish a nature reserve. The group plans to create a small ecotourism and environmental education center on the land. The facilities will be designed as a model for environmentally friendly construction, using recycled materials, renewable energy sources and other eco-friendly features.
The World Land Trust has made a down payment on a farm that includes 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) of coastline, ideally situated for protection of both land and marine wildlife. An unidentified supporter of the project has promised to match all donations up to a total of $250,000. World Land Trust says this will enable the purchase of the land and provide funds to put in place protection for wildlife.
However, funds are still needed to complete the purchase and to formalize a conservation plan with the local Fundacion Patagonia Natural to make the area sustainable through educational opportunities and ecotourism.
The purchase is made with the help of the U.S. based EcologyFund.com. Visitors to EcologyFund.com (www.EcologyFund.com) have made free donations to the Patagonia project since the site launched in February, resulting in nearly $10,000 in contributions to the project.
"EcologyFund is committed to helping the World Land Trust complete their goal in Patagonia. The preservation of these habitats is core to our vision," said EcologyFund founder Tim Kunin.
In addition to clicking at EcologyFund, traditional tax-deductible donations can be made to the Massachusetts Audubon Society in the U.S., and U.K. taxpayers can take advantage of Gift Aid.
The World Land Trust (WLT) was founded in 1989 with the intention of protecting lands in Belize. Since its foundation, the Trust has developed projects in the Philippines, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
EcologyFund.com is a grassroots movement that uses the Internet to save land in some of the world's most treasured natural habitats. EcologyFund.com is the first "click to donate" site that helps preserve land and protect endangered species in both North and South America.
Visitors to EcologyFund.com can save 235 square feet of wilderness land each day. Since its launch in February of this year, EcologyFund.com has attracted more than 50,000 visitors who have donated funds to protect more than three square miles (almost 83 million square feet) of land in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Amazon Basin, and Patagonia.
EcologyFund.com sponsors supporting the Patagonia project include Novica, CharityMall, and iPrint.com. Other site sponsors include Cool Savings, Wine Accents and Working Assets. The Environment News Service is an official partner of EcologyFund.com.