Atacama Desert, a collection of rare flowers

This is a spectacular sight for people entering the Atacama Desert in South America. In the middle of the red sand, a bed of colorful flowers. Located in northern Chile, this desert requires only a few drops of rain to grow thousands of flowers. A spectacular view for tourists and scientists. “In the context of the climate crisis, we need to understand these natural processes.”, Explains Andres Surida, a geneticist for agricultural research at the University of Chile.

To this geneticist, “These flowers are a natural laboratory”. Encourage researchers in research facing global warming, which does not require much water. But this laboratory is in danger because the Chilean government wants to force these plants to grow every year by irrigating them. This can disrupt a very fragile environment. Visible until November, these flowers may reappear in five to seven years.