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This ecoregion extends along the Pacific coast and foothills of southernmost Chile and southwestern Argentina. Coastal breezes blow through the evergreen swamp forests and cool-temperate rain forests of this region and rise across the foothills to create a humid oceanic climate with plenty of rainfall. The irregular coastline and the rise and fall of Andean foothills have physically isolated this area from any similar forests in the southern portion of South America. To the north lie the dryer Valdivean forests and the Mediterranean climate zone.
Steep volcanic terrain characterizes this region, and deep moraines mark the paths of ancient glaciers. The region remains heavily glaciated and prone to avalanches. Lapis-colored lakes are set like stones in this mosaic of Antarctic beech forests, Patagonian steppe, and coastal and inland islands. More than 79 inches (2,000 mm) of precipitation per year nourish huge trees, some as tall as 150 feet (46 m), in the northern portion of the region--their trunks green with moss, lichens, and other epiphytes. Farther south, deciduous forests dominate, while to the east, these forests become dryer and eventually degrade into thickets.
On a typical day within this forest, a huroncito (a small, slender weasel) chases a pocket mouse through the pine needles on the forest floor. A Magellanic woodpecker alights on a monkey puzzle tree in search of a tapping post. In an open pasture near the treeline, a viscacha--a small rodent that looks almost like a rabbit with a long, bushy tail--ducks into its burrow as an Andean condor passes overhead. Along the forest edge, a Patagonian sierra-finch looks for seed, while a Patagonian mockingbird sits perched on a tree snag. Deep in the Antarctic beech forest, the we-we-do call of an elegant crested-tinamou attracts the attention of a puma, but the tinamou is much too fast a prey for this large cat. Along a riverbank, a Patagonian otter munches on a crayfish, while upland geese paddle by. Two rodents, the Patagonian rat and the mole mouse, are among the many endemic species of the area.
Threats to this ecoregion are numerous. Trees are often very large and valuable as timber and therefore subject to intensive logging. The lush climate supports rapid plant growth, and some forestry companies have replaced native trees with timber plantations. One of the world’s longest-living trees, the alerce, can survive for more than 3,000 years and has become endangered because of logging. Exotic species, overgrazing of livestock, and firewood gathering are also severe threats. For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report. All text by World Wildlife Fund © 2001
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