Araucarias Biosphere Reserve is located in the Andes range, in south-central Chile. It comprises the Conguillío National Park and the Alto Bío-Bío National Reserve. The main feature of this Biosphere Reserve is the massive presence of Araucarias.
The fact about the Araucaria forest
Araucaria araucana or the monkey tree, as it is generally known, is an endemic evergreen. Conifer species which grows in the temperate rainforest of south central Chile and adjacent areas in Araucaria, under an amazing landscape covered by large areas of temperate rainforests with a high percentage of endemism. Araucaria araucana can reach up to 2 meters in size and 50 meters in height and may live for over 1,000 years. The Species grows in mixed forests with deciduous or evergreen species (depending on the location) or in pure stands. Araucaria araucana is one of eighteen species of Araucaria found worldwide
But for the purposes of this article. I will refer to the tree as simply araucaria.
Distribution of Chilean Araucaria is clearly divided into two areas: the Andes Range and the Coastal range (Nahuelbuta mountain). 97% of Araucaria forests are concentrated in the Andes Range, Where the species covers around 900 to 1,700 meters. In the Coastal Range, the species covers about 7,000 hectares in two relatively small zones. In the north between 37°40’ and 37°50’ degrees, with a maximum elevation of 1,400 meters, and in the south at 38°40’, with an elevation of approximately 600 meters.
