Environmental Woes of Tierra del Fuego -- Forest Exploitation

A giant sawmill on the shores of vast Lago Fagnano smokes from the burning of scrap wood and chips as pallets of lumber await buyers. Economic development is a central interest of regional governments that suffer from budget shortfalls. But environmentalists argue that the region's fragile environment is an unmatched resource and should be left intact. "We have a gold mine here if we don't cut it. Biodiversity, ecotourism, carbon fixing..." says Chilean activist Bedrich Magas. Trillium/Savia recently proposed selling carbon dioxide credits under the Kyoto Protocol to profit from the forested lands they are unable to cut.

Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download

Filename: 07SawmillSmoke.jpg
Copyright: © Kevin Moloney, 2000
Image Size: 3027x4605 / 3.9MB; log logger logging lumber saw sawmill wood ecosystem beech deforestation environment forest forestry Tierra del Fuego tree
Contained in galleries: 4. Deforestation

A giant sawmill on the shores of vast Lago Fagnano smokes from the burning of scrap wood and chips as pallets of lumber await buyers. Economic development is a central interest of regional governments that suffer from budget shortfalls. But environmentalists argue that the region's fragile environment is an unmatched resource and should be left intact. "We have a gold mine here if we don't cut it. Biodiversity, ecotourism, carbon fixing..." says Chilean activist Bedrich Magas. Trillium/Savia recently proposed selling carbon dioxide credits under the Kyoto Protocol to profit from the forested lands they are unable to cut.