OSARA was awarded recently a grant from the US Embassy in Chile to help consolidate the consortium of organizations working in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve. The support will help bring the Vice-president for Global Programs of the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) to Chile in October to advise the creation of OSARA as a broader and stronger alliance of US and Chilean organizations. OTS, founded 45 years ago, has become a leader in tropical research and brings together the efforts of 60 institutions on 4 continents to realize this work, making them an ideal partner in our effort.
Daily Archives: July 22, 2008
Cape Horn Setting for BBC Adventure Series
In December 2007, the BBC adventure series Serious Ocean filmed during a month-long navigation by boat in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve. The 10 part program premiered on 16 June 2008 in London amid much fan fare. The 8 young adventurers from 13-15 participated in numerous conservation projects throughout the archipelago, including tagging elephant seals and trapping beavers. The program will air in the U.K. and United States and bring the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve to millions of homes in the coming year. For the text version of a news clip with Dr. Christopher Anderson that appeared on national television, visit the following link.
Beaver Control Program Highlighted in Nature
The journal Nature, the world’s leading scientific periodical, recently published a piece on the proposed control/eradication program for beavers in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve. The article now has sparked broader interest, and currently the German magazine Der Spiegel is preparing an article. The articles cite OSARA President Christopher Anderson, who has advised and reviewed the projects and proposals. While acknowledging the challenges and difficulties of such an initiative, Dr. Anderson is quoted as saying “invasive species are an extremely important subject in Cape Horn, which is one of the world’s last wilderness areas. While it may not be feasible to eradicate beavers, it is certainly technically possible, as they were nearly exterminated in North American in the 1800s.” Anderson goes on to point out that “even if it is not possible to completely eliminate problem species in the archipelago, we will learn a great deal our our natural resources by working on binational (Chile and Argentina) conservation programs.” Click here to read the article in Nature.