Projects

The Temperate Rainforest Fund, Valdivian Ecoregion

Communities and Forest of the Valdivian Ecoregion The forests of the Valdivian Ecoregion are unlike any other on Earth thanks to the great biological diversity and number of endemic plant and animal species found there. These ecosystems have been the home of indigenous peoples for thousands of years, and later became home to European colonists and small farmers.

Even today, the lifestyle and local economy of many communities in the ecoregion depend on the native forest. In the face of growing external pressures, local communities have played an increasingly important role in the protection of these forests, but they are often not recognized or supported in their efforts.

"I come from a family that has protected the woods since ancestral times. My grandparents, my great-grandparents... my whole family has always taken care of the forest. They wanted it to last forever."

Mr. Jorge Loy, Mapu Lahual Indigenous Association of Butahuillimapu, Osorno, 10th Region.

"...we've learned to work together and to take better care of our native forest..." Mrs. Yilda Alvial, Santa Cecilia de las Ñochas Workshop, Carahue, 9th Region.

What are the objetives of the Temperate Rainforest Fund Initiative?

With funding from the Ford Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the National Committee for the Defense of Fauna and Flora (CODEFF) promote community-based conservation programs through the Temperate Rainforest Fund initiative (Fondo Bosque Templado, or FBT). FBT's strategy incorporates the empowerment of local communities with the sustainable use of the native forests in an effort to satisfy the needs of the local population while at the same time conserving southern Chile's temperate rainforests over the long term. Our two main objectives are:

• To promote local planning and initiatives which benefit the local community and contribute to biodiversity conservation in the Valdivian Ecoregion.
• To work, through these initiatives, towards leadership development, greater institutional capacity, and the construction of conservation networks.

Projects and Priority Areas

The Temperate Rainforest Fund initiative gives priority to three sub-regions within the Valdivian Ecoregion that are of particular conservation interest and that are also home to rural communities: the Coastal Range of the Araucanía (9th) and Lakes (10th) Regions, the Andes Range of the Araucanía (9th) Region, and an area in the Central Valley between these two that has been identified as a potential biological corridor.

How is It run?

The Temperate Rainforest Fund is run by an interdisciplinary team that supports and facilitates community-based projects through on-site visits, capacitation workshops, technical consultation, studies, publications, development of public relations material, and organizational support.

To date, the Temperate Rainforest Fund initiative has held four rounds of project selection for rural and indigenous communities backed by non-governmental or other technical support organizations. Priority is given to proposals from areas where the local community already uses the native forest and is influential in its conservation. Proposals may address the needs of one community in particular or may be of relevance to a group of communities, and must fall under one of the following categories: planning and participatory management of forested areas; valuation and sustainable use of the native forest; or the protection of biodiversity.

A total of 28 projects have been selected over the four rounds, addressing themes such as community-based ecotourism, marketing of non-wood forest products, sustainable firewood production, protection of ecosystem services, participatory landscape planning, and participation in public policy development.

To compliment the financial support of these projects, seminars on topics relevant to communities and native forest have been organized, manuals have been produced, and a book outlining the principals of the Temperate Rainforest Fund initiative and similar programs is being written.

What do we propose?

The Temperate Rainforest Fund initiative seeks to demonstrate and raise awareness of the fundamental role played by indigenous and rural communities in the conservation of southern Chile's native forests, through the dissemination of successful local experiences. With the right support, these communities are capable of making a significant contribution to conservation efforts while at the same time improving their own quality of life and strengthening their organizational capacity.

Large-scale conservation cannot be achieved solely through the creation of isolated parks and reserves. These biogeographical islands must also be connected to each other by natural buffer areas. Local communities have been key actors in the sustainable management of such buffer areas in southern Chile, and they need help to continue this important work.

Similarly, rural poverty cannot be overcome through destructive, industrial-scale use of natural resources. More appropriate alternatives are required that address the local social, cultural, economic, and environmental realities. Linking traditional and scientific knowledge, new technologies with greater local relevance can be developed to improve the quality of life in rural areas.