Bosques Templados Lluviosos de los Andes Australes, Biosphere reserve in southern Los Lagos and Los Ríos regions, Chile.
Bosques Templados Lluviosos de los Andes Australes is a protected region across southern Los Lagos and Los Ríos encompassing over 2 million hectares of rain-soaked forests with volcanic ridges and coastal margins. The landscape contains numerous species found nowhere else on Earth, including the ancient Alerce tree that ranks among the world's oldest living organisms.
The region received UNESCO biosphere reserve status in 2007 as a protection measure for the remaining Valdivian temperate rainforests of southern Chile. This designation became a turning point in safeguarding one of Earth's rarest forest ecosystems from further loss.
Mapuche-Huilliche communities maintain deep ties to this land and continue practicing traditions rooted in the forest environment. Visitors can encounter signs of their connection to nature throughout the protected areas.
The reserve encompasses eight national parks and protected areas offering hiking, wildlife observation, and research opportunities. Plan for wet and changeable weather typical of rainforest conditions throughout your visit.
The forest receives between 2000 and 6000 millimeters of rain yearly, making it one of Earth's wettest places on the southern hemisphere. This extreme moisture has created a distinctive community of mosses, ferns, and rare organisms that thrive in such saturated conditions.
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