Nevados de Chillán Biological Corridor

High in the Andes of central Chile, the Nevados de Chillán-Laguna de Laja Biological Corridor protects more than 1.4 million acres of high mountain peaks, rushing rivers, crystal-clear lakes and dense forests. One of the most biodiverse places in the world, this biological corridor is home to hundreds of animal and plant species—some of them found nowhere else on Earth.

Location
Nevados de Chillán is in south central Chile's Bío Bío region, about 250 miles south of Chile's capital city of Santiago. The area is ecologically notable for its position at the dividing line of two ecosystems that are in danger at a global scale: the Mediterranean Scrub of central Chile and the Valdivian Temperate Rainforests of southern Chile.

Animals
At least 40 of the 149 mammal, fish, bird, reptile and amphibian species in the Nevados de Chillán-Laguna de Laja Biological Corridor are at risk, and 27 of these vertebrate species are endemic to the area.
Among local mammals

• The huemul is an Andean deer and Chile's national symbol. This endangered animal might look like a deer, but it behaves more like a mountain goat, depending on fragile Andean ecosystems for its survival.

• The pudú, the world’s smallest deer, stands just 18 inches high at the shoulder.

• The vizcacha, a wild Andean relative of the domesticated chinchilla, resembles a long-tailed rabbit.

• Many species of wildcat, such as puma, bobcat-like güiña, and housecat-sized gato colocolo depend on this biological corridor for food and shelter.

Approximately 90 species of birds can be observed in the corridor, including

• The Andean condor

• The Magellanic woodpecker

• The peuquito, a Chilean forest hawk

Plants
Of the 241 plant species found in the Nevados de Chillán-Laguna de Laja Biological Corridor, over 40 are found nowhere else on Earth, and at least 7 are endangered. A transition zone between the northern, drier forests and the more humid southern forests, the Corridor’s vegetation ranges from flower-filled foothills and Araucaria conifers (or “monkey puzzle trees”) in the south to the Mediterranean shrubs and bushes of the dry northlands.

Conservation Challenges
All of this biodiversity is found in an area that is a microcosm of the land ownership situation in Chile as a whole: of the Biological Corridor’s 1.4 million acres, 18% is protected, 4% is fiscally owned, and remaining lion’s share, 78%, is privately owned. This ownership presents a unique challenge to land conservation, for it requires innovative, diverse, and multi-sectorial protection and sustainable use plans.

Intensive logging, urban development, substitution of native forest by exotic species, livestock grazing, harvesting of firewood and wood for charcoal, and the construction of hydroelectric dams and gas pipelines are infringing on habitat for deer and other animals.

Corporations are replacing native forests with fast-growing non-natives such as Monterey pine and eucalyptus to fuel Chile's burgeoning wood chip and pulp industry; the Bio Bio region in which the Corridor sits has over 2 million acres of non-native plantation: the largest number of acres of plantation in the country.

Uncontrolled tourism and the unregulated construction of vacation homes present a threat that grows with every year. One of Chile’s premier ski resorts is found in the center of the Corridor, and development around it has exploded in the past ten years. Throughout the area, ever-increasing sub-division presents a serious threat to biological connectivity.

Lizard in Parque Nacional Laguna del Laja

A Strategy for Success
With initial financial backing from the Conservancy, Chile’s National Committee for the Defense of Flora and Fauna (CODEFF), the National Environmental Commission (CONAMA) and the National Forest Corporation (CONAF) are working with local partners to employ the tools, strategies, and research necessary to support economic development and environmental conservation at the same time.

This working group cuts across many sectors and represents what the Conservancy does best: bringing a wide range of stakeholders to plan and coordinate their activities towards a common goal.

2003
• The Nature Conservancy worked with university experts, conservation organizations, public agencies and private groups to develop a Conservation Area Plan in which conservation objectives, threats to biodiversity, and mitigation methods were identified.

2004/2005
• The Nevados de Chillán-Laguna de Laja Biological Corridor was established and officially recognized by the Chilean government to be a protected area.

• The Executive Committee was formed to coordinate the actions of all who use the Corridor.

2006/2007
• A cross-sector conservation team was formalized for the direct protection of the Corridor. Representatives from public and private institutions, as well as conservation organizations, signed an agreement to take concrete steps towards the promotion of sustainable activities in the Corridor.

• With financial backing from the Conservancy, a campaign was launched to draw awareness to the ecological importance of the Corridor. So far, campaign themes have been integrated into curricula in local schools, and both a website and video have been produced.

2007 marks the end of the Conservancy’s direct support of the Nevados de Chillán-Laguna de Laja Biological Corridor. Under the leadership of the National Environmental Commission (CONAMA), the Executive Committee will continue to ensure that the Corridor remains a beautiful, well-managed protected area for people and for nature.