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Save the planet? Buy it
Millionaires are purchasing entire ecosystems around the world and turning them into conservation areas. Their goal? To stop environmental catastrophe.
Sebastián Piñera, one of the richest men in Chile, has a CV that includes introducing credit cards to his country and many large-scale property developments. Now he has added what every chic millionaire needs - his own private ecosystem.
Parque Tantauco, which Piñera created in 2005, is on one of South America's largest islands, Chiloé, off the coast of Patagonia.
Piñera bought the land and immediately set about protecting the offshore habitat of blue whales and the inland virgin forests.
Pulling out a map of the park, Piñera explains his plan, tracing his finger over a trekking route that will be connected by rustic cabins.
'We have been buying all the land around us. We started with 110,000 acres and now we have 150,000,' he says. 'I want my children and grandchildren to remember me for making one more million? No! So I now have many projects like this.'
While yachts and jets marked the status of last century's super rich, today the stylish accessory for millionaires is their very own ecosystem. Millionaires are purchasing entire ecosystems around the world and turning them into conservation areas. Their goal? To stop environme... more -
Dead Baby Penguins Wash Ashore by the Hundreds
July 18, 2008 -- Hundreds of baby penguins swept from the icy shores of Antarctica and Patagonia are washing up dead on Rio de Janeiro's tropical beaches, rescuers and penguin experts said Friday.
More than 400 penguins, most of them young, have been found dead on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro state over the past two months, according to Eduardo Pimenta, superintendent for the state coastal protection and environment agency in the resort city of Cabo Frio.
While it is common here to find some penguins -- both dead and alive -- swept by strong ocean currents from the Strait of Magellan, Pimenta said there have been more this year than at any time in recent memory.
Rescuers and those who treat penguins are divided over the possible causes.
Thiago Muniz, a veterinarian at the Niteroi Zoo, said he believed overfishing has forced the penguins to swim further from shore to find fish to eat "and that leaves them more vulnerable to getting caught up in the strong ocean currents."
Niteroi, the state's biggest zoo, already has already received about 100 penguins for treatment this year and many are drenched in petroleum, Muniz said. The Campos oil field that supplies most of Brazil's oil lies offshore.
Muniz said he hadn't seen penguins suffering from the effects of other pollutants, but he pointed out that already dead penguins aren't brought in for treatment.
Pimenta suggested pollution is to blame.
For the rest of this story:
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/07/18/dead-baby-peng... July 18, 2008 -- Hundreds of baby penguins swept from the icy shores of Antarctica and Patagonia are washing up dead on Rio de Janeiro... more -
Laboratorio en Movimiento
HELP a couple of people cross Latino America to promote alternative energy use. They been traveling using a biodiesel powered SUV and they need your help to get to Patagonia! Learn more about the project at:
http://www.laboratorioenmovimiento.com/index.html HELP a couple of people cross Latino America to promote alternative energy use. They been traveling using a biodiesel powered SUV and ... more -
Argentina: Glaciers may be shrinking
Scientists warn that glaciers in Patagonia are shrinking, and could disappear by the end of the century.
Scientists say glacial melting, along with the expansion of water in warmer temperatures, could provoke rising sea levels.
Katharine Jackson reports. Scientists warn that glaciers in Patagonia are shrinking, and could disappear by the end of the century. ... more -
Giant Robot Dinosaurs from Japan
I'm pretty sure the Japanese are going to conquer the world with these things.
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New Dinosaur Species Found in Patagonia
The skeleton of what is believed to be a new dinosaur species -- a 105-foot plant-eater that is among the largest dinosaurs ever found -- has been uncovered in Argentina, scientists said Monday. Scientists said the giant herbivore walked the Earth some 88 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period. The skeleton of what is believed to be a new dinosaur species -- a 105-foot plant-eater that is among the largest dinosaurs ever found... more
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Hiking Patagonia
While trekking around Patagonia, Morgan Paar shows us how to get a homebrewed beer and a good night's sleep without having to stray from the trail. While trekking around Patagonia, Morgan Paar shows us how to get a homebrewed beer and a good night's sleep without having to str... more
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