Melimoyu National Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Melimoyu National Park is a protected area of Chile, located in the comuna of Cisnes, in the Aysén Region. The land for the creation of the park was assembled from public lands and estates donated by Tompkins Conservation, a foundation led by American conservationist Kristine Tompkins, as part of a collaborative project to create a "National Parks of Patagonia Network".[1][2][3][4]

Located in the labyrinthine zone of the Patagonian fjords and channels, the park is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Corcovado, to the west by the Moraleda Channel and to the south by the Jacaf Channel, and includes a great part of the Refugio Island.[5] The park and its buffer zone is surrounded by Corcovado, Queulat and Isla Magdalena national parks, as well as the marine protected area named Pitipalena Añihué, located around the mouth of the Palena River.

The park was established, among other purposes, to protect the Melimoyu volcano (the park is named for the volcano), to help preserve endangered species, and to facilitate protection of wales and dolphins that inhabit the coastal marine areas adjacent to the park.[6]

History[]

The territory where the park is located has been described by several European explorers since the late 18th century when it was visited by José de Moraleda. Its main landmark, the Melimoyu volcano, serves as an aid for navigation on the Moraleda Channel, which was also described by captain Robert FitzRoy in his Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of H.M.S Adventure and Beagle.[7][better source needed]

Description[]

The park consists mainly of large forest of lenga beech, Chiloé's Coigue, mañío and Magellan's beech,[6] extending inland from the coast, except on the highest elevations.

Infrastructure and access[]

Much of the park is only accessible by sea. There are no roads connecting with the Carretera Austral or its secondary roads, with the exception of two segments that are intersected by Route X-12, a road connecting La Junta with Puerto Raúl Marín Balmaceda. In the latter locality, as well as in the village of Melimoyu and Puerto Cisnes, there are people providing local transport services.[8][9]

The park lacks infrastructure and there is no rangers to protect and preserve the park.

References[]

  1. ^ "Cómo la "histórica" donación de tierras del multimillonario estadounidense Douglas Tompkins le permitirá crear a Chile una red de parques nacionales del tamaño de Suiza". BBC. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "Gobierno y Tompkins Conservation sellan acuerdo para donación de tierras y creación de Red de Parques Nacionales de 4,5 millones de hectáreas" (in Spanish). 15 March 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Chile recibe la mayor donación de tierras privadas para parques naturales del planeta" (in Spanish). Diario El País. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "How an unprecedented gift built a legacy of conservation in South America". National Geographic. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Parque Nacional Melimoyu" (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ a b Ministerio del Medio Ambiente de Chile. "Crea el Parque Nacional Melimoyu, en la comuna de Cisnes, Provincia de Aysén, Región de Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo" (PDF). Diario Oficial de Chile. Retrieved 20 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Crónica de la Montaña Melimoyu". 2003. Retrieved 17 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Aysén, Una Patagonia por Descubrir". 14 October 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Puerto Raúl Marín Balmaceda. Bosques, playa y mar". Retrieved 18 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

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