Fires have surged through the forests of Argentina’s Patagonia region since the start of the year, with officials still working to contain damage to some of the world’s oldest ecosystems. The two major fires broke out in January in the southern province of Chubut, threatening parts of Los Alerces National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s home to trees thousands of years old. For many, the fires are another reminder of the significant budget cuts to the country’s environmental services. “We demand that the national government and the provinces provide more prevention, firefighters and infrastructure to respond quickly to fires, and penalize the destruction of forests,” Greenpeace Argentina said in a statement. Los Alerces National Park spans more than 259,000 hectares (642,000 acres) and is home to endemic species like the monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides), a marsupial, and the Magellanic woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus). Most notably, it contains the alerce tree (Fitzroya cupressoides), a cypress that can live for more than 3,600 years. On Jan. 5, a fire broke out in the southern part of the park between the Rivadavia, Futalaufquen and Menéndez lakes, according to NASA satellite readings. Another fire broke out on hillsides in the north. People walk on a road as a wildfire blazes in El Hoyo. (AP Photo/Maxi Jonas) It remains unclear how or why the fires began, but the prosecutor’s office reportedly confirmed one of them was set intentionally. Early estimates said around 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) of forest and grassland were destroyed, with…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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