Focal landscapes in the Valdivian Ecoregion

The Nahuelbuta Coastal Ranger

The Nahuelbuta ('Big Tiger Range' in the Mapuche language) Coastal Range is a section of the Coastal Range in the 8th and 9th Regions that extends from the Bío-Bío river in the north to the Imperial River in the south.

It encompasses a zone of ecological transition from a Mediterranean to a temperate climate. The only officially protected portion of the Nahuelbuta range is the small but spectacular Nahuelbuta National Park, which covers an area of only 6,400 ha.

Forests rich in animal and plant life

The forests in this range provide habitat for animals such as the marsupial "monito del monte" (Dromiciops gliroides), the Magellanic woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus), and the Darwin's fox (Pseudalopex fulvipes). The area also houses micro-endemic amphibians such as Telmatobufo bullocki, Eusophus nahuelbutensis, and Alsodes barrioi. In addition, in the Caramávida River canyon bordering the park and identified as a priority site by CONAMA (8th Region), there are raulí (Nothofagus alpina) forests managed by local communities, ñirre (Nothofagus antarctica) forests, and other woody plants such as pitao (Pitavia punctata), queule (Gomortega queule) and, further north, voqui fuco (Berberidopsis corallina).

The Nahuelbuta National Park - a region with diverse forests ...

Created in 1939, Nahuelbuta National Park is currently administrated by CONAF and is located in the municipalities of Angol, Purén and Los Sauces.

The distinct altitudes and soil types, as well as the intervention of humans, have produced four predominant plant communities in the region: the roble (Nothofagus obliqua) forest, the coigüe (Nothofagus dombeyi) forest, the araucaria (Araucaria araucana) forest and the ñirre (Nothofagus antarctica) alpine scrubland.

...now under threat!

At present, the future of these forests is uncertain due to the expansion and intensive management of exotic tree plantations, continuous extraction of native timber for firewood and charcoal, overgrazing and the small size of the protected area. In fact, the area of the park is not sufficient to meet even the minimum needs of species such as the Magellanic woodpecker that depend directly on the late succesional forest. The situation in the south-east section of the park is particularly disturbing.. Soil degradation has reached a critical level of desertification, converting the park into an island.

Conservation efforts

In 2000, WWF and CONAF (9th Region) signed an accord which seeks to augment protection of these important forests by greatly expanding the area managed for conservation around Nahuelbuta National Park.

The Valdivian Ecoregion Program, in association with CONAMA (8th and 9th regions), CONAF (8th and 9th regions), and the University of Concepción, is currently seeking the funding required to develop a integrated conservation plan for the landscape.