Conserva Puchegüín, protect Cochamó

We are mobilizing support in Chile and around the world to ensure a permanent future for Fundo Puchegüín.

The vastness of Puchegüín is home to a rich ecosystem that includes ancient alerce forests found nowhere else on Earth, granite walls, glaciers, wetlands, and crystal-clear waters that host endemic and endangered species. For generations, rural communities have lived alongside this landscape, with a way of life deeply connected to the land.

But this natural paradise is at risk. Unlike the 1.63 million hectares of protected areas in Chile and Argentina that surround it, Puchegüín lacks formal environmental protections. As a result, high-impact projects have threatened its ecosystems and communities for years. Since 2022, Puchegüín has been for sale, increasing the risk and raising concern among local communities and the organizations working to protect the area.

Protecting Puchegüín today is a unique opportunity to protect Cochamó and Patagonia forever.

SUMMARY

Project name
Conserva Puchegüín, protect Cochamó

Goals
» Respect and protect the culture and way of life of the Cochamó Valley community.
» Implement an innovative, participative, and replicable conservation model that empowers local community leadership and can serve as an example in Chile and around the world.
» Protect Puchegüín — and in doing so, protect Cochamó — from any present or future projects that could threaten its scenic beauty or biodiversity.
» Protect the essential role that Puchegüín’s ecosystem plays in mitigating climate change at a global level.
» Promote sustainable economic development in the Cochamó community through nature-based tourism and conservation, improving local well-being and contributing to the development of the entire region.
» Connect nearly 1,640,000 hectares of protected areas across Chilean and Argentine Patagonia, creating one of the most important biological corridors in Latin America.
» Improve local infrastructure and services, contributing to the local economy.

Progress
» Create an alliance with Freyja Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Wyss Foundation, and Patagonia to fund and carry out the Conserva Puchegüín project.
» Work with the community: interviews and meetings with 120 local residents to understand their perspectives, dreams, and needs.
» Fundraising work in Chile and internationally.