We are happy that the Chilean government eventually passed a regulation to protect the peatmoss Sphagnum magellanicum, which is the main component of raised bogs in Patagonia. The new “Norma General CVE 1246055” regulates a maximum harvest depth of Sphagnum fibres, minimum regeneration times after harvest (12 years in the region of Los Lagos y Chiloé, and 85 years in the regions of Magallanes and Aysén), prohibits drainage of harvest areas and comes with a set of other measures which will help to order the so far unregulated harvest and will help to maintain these ecosystems in future.
Here you can read the official text of the “Norma General” (in Spanish)
http://www.diariooficial.interior.gob.cl/publicaciones/2018/02/02/41973/01/1346055.pdf
Congratulations to the people of Chile, for having taken this important decision in favor of the conservation of these ecosystems. Congratulations to all the persons who influenced this cause during its process, especially persons from Parque Etnobotánico Omora, Aysén Reserva de Vida, Round Rivers Conservation, Vive Aysén, Centro de Investigación en Recursos Naturales y Sustentabilidad – CIRENYS, Senda Darwin, Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero – SAG de Coyhaique, al Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria INIA de Magallanes, Department of Soil Sciences from the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, and all persons who helped with their commitment and enthusiasm to build this new reality for Chilean mires.