Victory in Chile! Coastal Road Rerouted! Press release from
January 23, 2003 regarding the rerouting of a road that was to
threaten the Valdivian rainforest of southern Chile. January 23,
2003 Good news for the temperate Valdivian rainforest of
southern Chile: on 11 January, the government of Chile signed an
agreement to redefine the routing of the Coastal Range Road and
establish mechanisms for the creation of protected areas along
the country's Coastal Range - home to the oldest and most
diverse rainforest remaining in southern South America. The
agreement was signed with the Coastal Range Coalition, an NGO
group spearheaded by WWF that includes more than 12
institutions, ranging from indigenous groups to leading
scientists, interested in the conservation of the remaining
temperate rainforest of the Coastal Range. The Minister of
Public Works, the Intendente of Region X (State Governor), and
the Directors of CONAMA (National Environmental Commission) and
CONAF (National Forestry Agency) signed the agreement