Where: Chile

What's at stake: Chile's last wilderness frontier; marine, river and forest habitats

Threatened by: A series of massive hydro-electric dams and a 1,200-mile transmission line

Animals include: Huemuls, pumas, southern river otters, blue whales, humpback whales, orcas, Chilean dolphins, South American sea lions and fur seals, South American deer and many birds found only in Patagonia

• Hundreds of thousands of years ago, huge ice fields covered the western part of Patagonia. As these glaciers receded, they left in their wake wild rivers, forests and the network of fjords and islands that now mark the coast.
• Today, Patagonia is one of the least polluted places in the world, due to its remote location, sparse population and the low-impact lifestyle of its residents.
• The moisture-drenched soils of Patagonia nourish endangered coniferous trees including the Alerce, the second largest living tree in the world, and the cypress of the Guaitecas, which was highly sought after in the past by canoe builders for its water-resistant properties.
• Patagonia's temperate rainforest provides a nutrient-rich haven for many species found nowhere else on the planet, including the huemul, a South American deer. The endangered puma and southern river otter also depend on this region's wildlands and rivers.
• Patagonia's deep fjords, islands and channels provide a sheltered habitat for blue whales, humpback whales, orcas, Chilean or black dolphins, Peale's dolphins, South American sea lions and South American fur seals.
• In the late 1990s, repeated blue whale sightings close to shore in Patagonia's Golfo Corcovado caught the attention of scientists, who know little about the breeding spots of this endangered species. A team of researchers later identified the area as a blue whale nursery.