Name: Ecosystem services
Place: Atacama desert Chile
Story
I will start saying that it was an amazing experience! being in Atacama desert is just something incredible and be able to share how important is this ecosystem to the children who lives there is even more great. The Project was led by the University of Chile commissioned by the Ministry of Environment and the name of the Project was “Identification, assessment and conservation proposal of the ecosystem services of the Coastal Marine Protected Area of Multiple Uses of Isla Grande de Atacama (AMCP-MU IGA)”.
As part of the Project was really important to connect the Project with the comunity and show to them how important and rich is where they live. So we prepared a one day trip to visit the protected area and make some activities related to the ecosystem services you can find in this amazing place. First we visited some of the most important spot in the area (the whole area is around 12000 hectares in between ocean, beaches and land) but we only visited the north part because its so huge and dont forget is desert! so its not easy to get anywhere. After walking and knowing better the place we stop in a really beautiful spot to make a big activitie with the childrens and people from the comunity. It was great how the children were interacting and discoverying their own land and realasing how incredible is the place where they live.Then we keep walking for a bit more and then we returned to the city.
Atacama desert is the dryest desert in the world but this time (2017) there was some rain just before we arrived there and 3 months later they had an especatucar event called “flowering desert” where all the seed which are there waiting for water suddenly they bloom! so what a nice ending for this beautiful project.
Well until the next sun!
