Patagonia Student Program

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Patagonia Chile Student Program

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Patagonia Student Program

Spend days hiking through Patagonian steppe and rare temperate grasslands watching herds of guanaco (a llama-like camelid) and exploring the beech forests and high peaks of the future Patagonia National Park. Learn from local residents and park guards how to track the local wildlife, survey critical habitat, and document the biodiversity of this ecologically rich and important region. Interact with local farmers and assist families in their efforts to learn about the area’s ecological and economic importance. Wander the landscape amongst snow-capped peaks and glacial rivers while experiencing the vibrant Chilean culture.

Students will participate in many of the following activities:

Conduct ecological restoration activities
Monitor native species using motion-sensor cameras
Inventory flora and fauna species
Learn basic Spanish while participating in education events within local communities
Aid Conservación Patagónica to document the biodiversity and prioritize their conservation actions

The Chacabuco Valley, the spectacular heart of the future Patagonia National Park, is located in a transitional zone between the semi-arid Patagonian steppe and temperate beech forests, thereby boasting amazing scenery and a span of habitats, from grasslands and wetlands to high alpine peaks. This habitat diversity supports the highest levels of biodiversity found in the Aysen region of Chile. While camped in Chacabuco students, in addition to their fieldwork and academics, participate in experiential learning with local researchers and residents on the region’s ecological, cultural, and agricultural history. Spanish language skills are not required, but a basic Spanish course is taught and Chilean students often participate in the program. With this exception all lectures and field activities are in English.

The Conservation Context:

Patagonia as a whole is a wild ecological treasure, and the region occupied by the future Patagonia National Park occupies a particularly significant and critical area. The mission of Conservación Patagónica, founded in 2000, is to protect and restore wildland ecosystems, biodiversity and healthy communities in Patagonia through the formation of National Parks. In 2004 the “future Patagonia National Park” project was initiated with the purchase of the 173,000-acre Estancia Valle Chacabuco (Chacabuco Valley Ranch). The Chacabuco Valley and its surroundings contain a wide variety of ecosystems, including steppe, grasslands, wetlands, southern beech forests, high peaks, lakes, lagoons, and the famous Baker River.

Unique within Chile and Patagonia due to its diversity and healthly ecosystems, the Valle Chacabuco supports a wide array of native wildlife and plant species. Among the more prominent are the endangered Huemul deer, the guanaco, the Andean Condor, the lesser or Darwin’s Rhea (an endangered ostrich-like flightless bird), puma, armadillos and the vizcacha (a threatened large and vocal rodent).

Conservación Patagónica, has an 8-year timeline for Valle Chacabuco to be proposed as a national park. At present they are focusing on restoration and conducting critical field studies (e.g., baseline inventories or ecological research) to provide important information for the future management of the new park area. Ultimately, Conservación Patagónica, hopes to join Valle Chacabuco with two existing protecting areas contiguous to the valley – Tamango National Reserve to the southwest and Jeinimeni National Reserve to the North, whereby creating a new national park of at least 750,000 acres. Round River student researchers directly assist in these efforts.

For a map of the Chacabuco Valley and the proposed national park, click here.

Read about Stuart Pimm's Gigapan initiative he has set up in the future park here.