Chile

Chile has low coastal mountains where the country meets the South Pacific Ocean. The Andes Mountains run along the country’s east, and a fertile central valley lies between. The Atacama Desert covers Chile’s northern region. Most of the country is used for human activities, in its majority by rangeland. Chile has high biodiversity rarity of terrestrial land vertebrates at a global scale. When analysed as single taxons, the rarity of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles is also high. The rarity of marine fish and mammals is also high. Challenges to biodiversity include air and water pollution; noise pollution; solid waste; soil degradation; deforestation; and mining.