Key Strategies - Chile

© Phil Rundel

In Chile, dramatic population growth and new forest plantations and vineyards are destroying native woodlands. Compounding the threat are pollution and erosion from mining and uncontrolled fires caused by human activity. In response, conservation organizations and the Chilean government are strengthening national conservation programs by developing new strategies, such as conservation communities and incentives for conservation on private lands.

Strategies for Conservation

In 2003, the National Commission of the Environment (CONAMA) defined 68 priority sites for biodiversity conservation nationwide. Since a large proportion of these sites, including many in Chile’s mediterranean region, fall under private ownership, privately protected areas (PPAs) are a critical complement to public protected areas. PPAs include private parks, land donations to the national park system, conservation communities, eco-real estate and ecotourism projects, and private administration of government conservation lands. Private parks and reserves are the most common, many of which are nature sanctuaries or hunting-free zones. Nearly a quarter of PPAs are conservation communities, plots of land purchased by a group of people mainly for conservation and recreational purposes. Eco-real estate projects are typically established by real estate companies with profit motives who recognize the demand for conservation as well as the significant market for second homes; the Oasis La Campana is one example.

A biological conservation corridor called Los Nevados de Chillán has been proposed as a way to connect existing reserves with private lands in varying levels of protection and allow the unrestricted movement of the region’s species. The area occurs at the intersection of mediterranean scrub and temperate rainforest.The Nature Conservancy is working with a variety of partners to strengthen a network of PPAs in the area through collaboration and information exchange with property owners, agencies, local governments and businesses in order to coordinate land purchases and help landowners achieve their conservation and sustainable use goals.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project Los Altos de Cantillana will work with landowners and communities to establish environmentally sustainable economic activities as an incentive to reducing harmful development. This project encompasses approximately 187,000 hectares in the heart of the mediterranean region of Chile. The majority of the land falls under private ownership, with many property owners holding large areas of over 100 hectares. The conservation strategies of this multi-year project focus on the commitments of private landowners, especially those whose properties are the most biodiverse. In addition, the project will develop a multi-stakeholder Corporation to manage the area and raise local awareness about the project. The Corporation will also create partnerships and provide support to management plans and integrated enforcement of the area.