Malena revolt
09/02/2021 4:51 PM
Clarín.com
Zonal
Updated 09/02/2021 4:51 PM
In the South of Greater Buenos Aires there is a peculiar tree over 150 years old that is currently the
only one standing outside its original continent
, Oceania.
Despite being protected by law, park rangers reported acts of vandalism that put the specimen at risk.
The
crystal tree
(Agathis Alba) is native to Malaysia and the specimen that survives in Argentina is located in the Pereyra Iraola Park, in Berazategui.
Although at the time, in the middle of the 19th century, 12 of them were planted, only one managed to survive.
But according to park rangers in the area, he could die in no time.
On Sunday, August 29, in commemoration of Arbor Day, various
mass calls
were organized
at the park grounds.
But they were not authorized.
"The event was broadcast on networks, by someone who also charged for doing the 'guided tour' so that people can see the tree," says Alba Alé, head of the Pereyra Iraola Park Rangers team.
The group entered the area illegally to vandalize the historic tree.
The specimen is located within a sector with police surveillance.
However, it was marked and spray-painted by visitors.
"If they do something that is not appropriate, the person in charge of the place has to give explanations. The tree is protected by law, this is not nonsense," claims Alba.
The Pereyra Iraola Biosphere Reserve Assembly, a group created in defense of the largest green lung in the Province of Buenos Aires,
made a criminal complaint
and the agency already has a judicial intervention.
According to the team in charge of the surveillance and conservation of the area, the entrance to the area was restricted after the vandalism but incidents continue to be recorded.
"People keep getting in, they
jump the gates,
" the park ranger details and affirms that, although in this protected natural area only low-impact activities are allowed, many neighbors go beyond the law and assist in a massive way, generating damage.
Some of the inscriptions made with aerosol on the trunk of the Crystal Tree.
It is not the first time that the Berazategui Crystal Tree has been vandalized.
"In 2020 it was injured, it is a very old tree and it will end up dying," they say in the Pereyra Iraola Park team.
This type of act also occurred years ago with another specimen that, as they recall, "ended up dying and falling."
They are currently working on the tree to try to minimize the damage.
Although the paint could be removed, the marks made by the people who invaded the property are part of irreversible damage.
The importance of the conservation of this specimen is due to the unique characteristics to which its name refers.
This exotic species
releases a resin in the form of tears
, which at night reflect the light of the moon, giving the sensation of actually being a crystal tree.
Park rangers assure that any massive activity in the vicinity of the tree "is totally out of legality."
Photo: BAFILM
The plant was declared a Natural Monument of the Province of Buenos Aires, and
it has no possibility of reproducing itself
.
To protect it during the pandemic, signs were installed indicating a limited capacity to enter the area.
"In the income there is also a guard to warn that activities are allowed, but not massively," they detail from the park rangers team.
The Pereyra Iraola Park is considered a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
This condition, according to environmental groups, is at risk of disappearing due to various breaches on the part of the provincial authorities.
In addition, the park rangers ensure that there is a complete "neglect of those responsible for its operation."
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