WWF working in and for the Valdivian Ecoregion, Chile

Objectives of the programme

Biodiversity research and planning

We collaborate with local universities and scientists on research that supports the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Planning initiatives we have led include the development of a science-based plan for the conservation of the Valdivian Ecoregion, including the definition of priority areas for conservation. Currently, we are developing conservation strategies for the Coastal Range of the Lakes (10th) Region and for the Coastal Range-Andes Corridor

Capacity building and the development of networks

We encourage the creation of networks and coalitions that bring together institutions, local communities, and companies. We have actively participated in the development of the Coalition for the Conservation of the Coastal Range, a collaborative initiative among over a dozen organizations that has yielded significant conservation results.

Consolidation of the protected areas system

We promote the creation and consolidation of public and private protected areas in threatened or inadequately protected ecosystems, particularly in Chile´s Coastal Range, Central Valley, north Andean foothills, and more recently inshore seas.

Sustainable use of native forests

Through the Temperate Rainforest Fund initiative (Fondo Bosque Templado, a program of WWF and CODEFF), we support local capacity building and conservation action. The Temperate Rainforest Fund aims to support the efforts of local indigenous and rural communities towards the conservation and sustainable management of their native forests in the Araucania (9th) and Lakes (10th) Regions.

Protection and recovery of threatened species

We work to conserve the habitat of highly threatened and endangered species and to reduce threats to the ecosystems in which they live. To date, these activities have included research and education for the protection of the alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides), one of the longest living trees in the world, and conservation of the huillín, or river otter (Lontra provocax).