Chilean Patagonia

Chilean Patagonia

Chilean Patagonia is a region known for its incomparable beauty and reputation as one of the last wild places on earth. An Eden of the far south where nature reigns in perpetuity, renewing itself through glacially-fed rivers and the indomitable spirit of its people. This portrayal, while partly accurate, belies the reality of a landscape where human impacts and threats are pervasive. Human-wildlife conflict and overgrazing are on the rise, and industrial mega-development, notably hydroelectricity, aquaculture, and mining, once held in check by the sheer remoteness of the region, now lurk impatiently in the shadows. Tourism, which has skyrocketed by 20% in the previous annum, could be a boon for local people, but only if advanced in ways that conserve, rather than degrade, the region’s sensitive environments. A rhetoric of ecotourism, sustainable development, and biodiversity conservation is beginning to ring in Chilean Patagonia.

Protecting Patagonia’s natural treasures is necessary for sustaining both people and nature. Currently in our 8th year in Chilean Patagonia, our efforts are based on mobilizing conservation science, articulating landscape-scale conservation strategies, and fostering close relationships with communities and government. We assist Tompkins Conservation, the National Forest Corporation (CONAF), the Chilean Army, the Institute for Agrarian Innovation (INIA), municipal governments, and others in the conservation of federal, communal, and private lands throughout the region, employing a standardized biodiversity monitoring framework and incorporating local rangers and ranchers. We also conduct targeted research on key taxa including the endangered huemul deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus) and lesser rhea (Pennata pennata). In addition, we partner with local schools to create immersive learning experiences for the youth of Villa O’Higgins, Caleta Tortel, Cochrane, and Puerto Edén. 

Pascua River community protected area initiative

The Southern Patagonian Ice Field and surrounding area is one of the largest near-pristine areas remaining in South America, and perhaps the wildest part of Patagonia. It is the global stronghold of the endangered huemul deer and the traditional homeland of the Kawésqar and Aonikenk peoples.

The Pascua River watershed, situated on the northeastern flank of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, is its only portion that lacks protection of any kind. As such, this area faces growing threats, namely the Ruta 8 (a road that would bisect Bernardo O’Higgins National Park), speculative mining, and a reincarnation of the Pascua dams project. Thanks to the Sin Represas (“Without Dams”) movement of a decade ago that the Pascua still flows free today.

We are proposing to create a 225,000 acre protected area in the Pascua River watershed – the Bien Nacional Protegido (BNP) Río Pascua – in coordination with the Ministerio de Bienes Nacionales (MBN) and local communities. We continue to develop broad partner support for this initiative through the Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF) and Chilean Military logistical support and political assistance from the Ministerio de Bienes Nacionales.

Current efforts include work planning with municipalities and community members of O’Higgins and Tortel to increase institutional, technical, and governance capacity for protected areas co-management, a novel approach that is essential in Chile given the overwhelming burden of existing protected areas on federal agencies. Critical to the long-term success of this initiative is the development of a strategic funding mechanism in tandem with an outreach campaign to garner broader regional, national, and international support for this initiative.