“Descubriendo la riqueza natural de mi comuna” es una iniciativa gestionada por organizaciones locales que busca acercar a los estudiantes de las escuelas de Cochamó y Río Puelo a los paisajes y a la naturaleza del lugar donde viven, a través de talleres teóricos y prácticos que terminaron con un campamento educativo en La Junta, corazón del Valle Cochamó que recibe miles de turistas al año, pero que gran parte de su propia comunidad aún desconoce. 

The Cochamó Valley is a natural paradise recognized worldwide for its incredible landscapes, featuring millennia-old Alerce forests, rivers, glaciers, and the stunning granite cliffs that are unique in the world. It is one of the most visited hiking and climbing destinations in our country, attracting more than 15,000 tourists each year. According to records from the Visitor Center, a large portion of the visitors to this place are Chileans, yet only a small percentage are residents of the Cochamó commune.

With the aim of helping children and young people from Cochamó get to know the place where they live, the initiative "Discovering the Natural Richness of My Commune" was created. It seeks to connect the students from the Río Puelo Rural School and the Juan Soler Manfredini Elementary School of Cochamó with the landscapes, nature, history, and the importance of protecting the valleys where they live. 

A world-class paradise unknown at the local level.

"There are many people who have lived here their entire life and don't know one of the most important places in their commune in terms of its natural richness," says the teacher Leopoldo Muñoz, a member of the Cochamó Valley Organization's board and someone who has dedicated more than 40 years to education. 

Todo comenzó cuando dentro del marco del Santuario de la Naturaleza Valle Cochamó y el proyecto Conserva Puchegüín, miembros de la Organización del Valle Cochamó y Puelo Patagonia visitaron a los alumnos de tercero medio  de la Escuela Juan Soler Manfredini para conocer su percepción sobre las áreas naturales que los rodeaban. En medio de la charla los miembros preguntaron: “¿Cuántos de aquí han subido a La Junta (Valle Cochamó)?

Surprisingly, after the question, only three students raised their hands. 

This is how the organizations launched this program, which focuses on enhancing the local identity of young people from the schools in Cochamó and Río Puelo regarding their commune and territory. "One of the challenges we had with the Cochamó Valley Nature Sanctuary was connecting this place with the community. We thought that one of the first ways to do this is through the schools, as they are the future generation that can lead the conservation of the commune," highlights Muñoz. 

Sobre lo anterior, Andrés Amengual, director de Puelo Patagonia que participó del taller con los alumnos, menciona la importancia de involucrar a los jóvenes en la protección de la naturaleza. “Resulta contradictorio pensar que mientras se lleva adelante una campaña mundial de recolección de fondos para proteger su tierra, la mayoría de los niños de Cochamó no conocen la parte más bella de su comuna”. Además, señaló que fue “una revelación ver que tan pocos niños se ponían de pie: había que romper esa tendencia e ir en sentido contrario por lo injusto de la situación,  pero también porque es la comunidad el principal agente de protección del entorno”.

The program consisted of four theoretical and practical workshops covering topics such as biodiversity and local geography, camping, first aid, and hiking techniques, and concluded with a three-day Environmental Education Camp in La Junta. Community collaboration has been key to making this happen. From the camping accommodations in La Junta, the guides provided by the Arrieros del Valle Cochamó, transportation from both schools, the guides and instructors from the Cochamó Mountain Club, to the management of food, materials, and workshop facilitators by the Cochamó Valley and Puelo Patagonia Organization, all these efforts made the project possible.

Patricia Almonacid, secretary of the Cochamó Valley Organization and a former student of the Cochamó school, was in charge of leading the Biodiversity workshop. The workshop focused on showing students the natural heritage of their commune, so they could recognize the different species that inhabit the Cochamó Valley when they take their trip there. 

For her, conducting this workshop holds special value, as "when I studied here, I didn’t have the opportunity to have a space that helped us value the place where we live," she says. "In fact, it’s when you leave that you truly realize the significance of the incredible place we inhabit," she emphasizes. 

Preventing the migration of young people from the countryside to the city: a social challenge in Cochamó.

What Patricia describes is not an isolated fact. According to a study by Balloon Latam conducted in 2019 in the commune, it is observed that young people migrate from the countryside to the cities for reasons related to education or work. This coincides with data from the 2017 CENSO, which reveals that 16.7% of the population in Cochamó are under 15 years old—a figure lower than the regional and even national average.

"We know that it is difficult for older adults to stay in isolated places, which is why they often have to leave. That’s why part of what we promote at Puelo Patagonia is that nature tourism and small-scale livestock farming can be activities that motivate young people from Cochamó to stay," says Andrés Diez, executive director of Puelo Patagonia and spokesperson for the Conserva Pucheguín campaign. 

After its successful first edition at the end of 2024, the organizations are already planning the program for this new year and even hope to expand the initiative to other areas of the commune. 

Learn more about this project here.