Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: A Bill to Save the Caldén Tree

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 2 2004 (IPS) - – Non-governmental groups in Argentina are leading the discussion on a legislative bill on forests that would help preserve the 'caldén' (Prosopis caldenia), an endangered tree. The environmental organization Alihuén and the indigenous group Willi Kalkin in July began talks with the provincial government of La Pampa to protect the caldén, whose wood is used in making parquet floors, picture frames and rustic furniture.

The caldén forest in La Pampa runs the risk of disappearing within 10 years, Alihuén activist Leandro Altolaguirre told Tierramérica.

The aim is to study the tree's growth and its role in the ecosystem, and to create a ''biological corridor'' to ensure its sustainability, he said.

Interest in setting up legal protections for the caldén was triggered by the announcement of private projects to log the forest in La Pampa.