The cacti are now in an Atacama Desert greenhouse managed by the National Forest Corporation of Chile (Conaf), although some local reports suggest some of the plants may have gone missing.

Chile's Atacama Desert is being threatened by piles of trash dumped there from around the world, which is also damaging scientific research. This area is key to helping find life on other planets.

The Atacama desert during a natural phenomenon known as 'Desierto Florido' (flowering desert), which fills the driest desert in the world with flowers and plants, near Copiapo, Chile, July 6, 2024.

But Chile's massive Atacama desert is a unique and fragile ecosystem that experts say is being threatened by piles of trash dumped there from around the world. Mountains of discarded clothing, a ...

The Atacama is the driest place on earth beyond the polar regions, says Roberto. It is amazing that not only animals but also 200 endemic plant species can flourish in a place with so little water.

Iquique (Chile) (AFP) – It may be one of the driest places on Earth -- a brutal, alien landscape where life seems impossible. But Chile's massive Atacama desert is a unique and fragile ecosystem ...