At the Fundación Tierras Patagónicas we are always seeking to support our natural environment. We are conscious that global or large scale issues can be difficult to tackle, but that doesn’t mean we can afford to sit back and take no action. We know that we can also contribute to the fight in our own way by, for example, protecting the water quality of the rivers and lakes which surround us.
With that in mind, we have strengthened our Prevention Brigade by welcoming five new members from the Cayún, Vera and Curruhuinca Mapuche communities who are also undertaking their theoretical and practical training in Forest Fires, first aid and rural chainsaw training. This group will form our second team, and will now begin work on a Willow Tree Management Plan.
Since the beginning of April we have been working on a sector of the riverbank in Estancia Chimehuin, thinning, pruning, gathering and storing firewood and clearing the area. These 200 metres of riverbank are a pilot exercise which will allow us to evaluate and set the cost, both economically and in terms of manual effort and machinery, which the team’s work requires.
Such work is very physically demanding and requires constant attention to safety measures, given that our team works with cutting tools and heavy machinery. Our plan is to complete the pilot exercise in 3 months, covering a total of 800 metres of the riverbank.