| Project Detail |
The Valdivian Coastal Reserve is part of an ancient temperate rainforest rising from Chile’s southern coastline. Owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy since 2003, the 50,251 hectare (124,173 acre) Reserve is home to biological treasures such as Olivillo trees, living up to 400 years, Alerce trees, with a lifespan of more than 3,000 years, and one of the world’s smallest deer called the pudú. By purchasing the Reserve in 2003, the Conservancy was able to stop an immediate threat of deforestation associated with the construction of a coastal highway through the property, and to stop the ongoing conversion of native forest to exotic plantations, by cancelling the legal and transferrable forest management permits which had allowed forest conversion. With these actions taken to stop deforestation and degradation of native forests, more than 350,000 tons of CO2 emissions are estimated to have been prevented from being released into the atmosphere—the equivalent of taking more than 67,000 passenger vehicles off U.S. roads for one full year. The Conservancy has been working closely with neighboring fishing villages and indigenous communities to maintain traditional land uses and to encourage compatible local economic development as part of the Valdivian Coastal Reserve’s overall conservation strategy. The Conservancy works with partners to make the Reserve both accessible and educational to all visitors, driving tourism that is crucial for the economic sustainability of local communities. Tourists represent a market for sustainably produced goods, such as locally gathered organic honey and herbal teas. Thus, the project not only helps fight climate change and protects biodiversity, but it also supports sustainable economic activities for local people. |
