BARRIO – Even though Chile’s Atacama Desert is the sunniest and driest place on earth, rare flowers have recently bloomed.

On 2 October, Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced that the area would be made into a national park to protect this natural phenomenon. 

The exact area on which the national park will be governed has not yet been determined, but it was decided that it will be between the south of the city of Copiapó and north of the town of Vallenar.

The Atacama Desert is a plateau in South America, covering a 1,000-kilometre strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains.

Most of the desert is composed of stony terrain, salt lakes, sand, and felsic lava that flows towards the Andes.

For many scientists, this blooming of flowers is an exciting occurrence, as it proves the resilience of certain types of flora and fauna in the world’s most arid region.

The desert could hold many secrets for the study of climate change, and also for the study of potential life on the moon as it has many similarities.

Chile is looking to the future to strengthen its sustainability initiatives and promote research and development for this fascinating region of the world.