By Linda Fletcher & Rita Liebenberg
We were ecstatic to receive an invitation to join DOB Ecology for a knowledge exchange and learning experience during their annual visit to one of their South American partners, Rewilding Chile.
Rewilding Chile is the offspring of Tompkins Conservation Chile, a non-profit organisation that carries the legacy of Douglas and Kristine Tompkins. In the early 1990s, Doug and Kris decided to dedicate their lives to conserving the beauty and biodiversity of the Chilean Patagonia, with the goal of countering both climate change and the species extinction crisis. More than 30 years later, Rewilding Chile continues to work toward this vision.
After a long journey over the Atlantic, via Sau Paulo and Santiago, we arrived at Puerto Montt airport where we were welcomed with a warm smile and a cheek kiss. We then made our way to the charming town of Puerto Varas situated on Lake Llanquihue.
We kicked off our visit with a walk to the Rewilding Chile head office on Monday morning to meet their sunny and passionate team. Once the coffee had been poured, we shared presentations about our respective regions and the work both organisations have been implementing. Rewilding Chile focus their conservation actions on Chilean Patagonia, a territory that crosses a third of the country, and which contains over 90% of the country’s protected national parks. The 17 national parks in this region protect 11.8 million hectares. We also learned about their approach to their mission:
“To counteract the species extinction and climate crisis by protecting wilderness through the creation of national parks and marine parks, restoring ecosystems, protecting endangered species, and supporting the well-being of local communities.”
It was interesting to discover that despite being 7,800km apart, many of their threats, challenges and solutions are the same as ours. As we learned more about beautiful Chile and the wonderfully warm Chilian people, we often mused at our similarities which eventually we dubbed the “Gondwana connection”. Cooking a meal over a fire (braai / barbeque) while surrounded by family and friends is a deeply rooted social affair in both South Africa and Chile. We bonded over our deep appreciation for the beautiful environments we all live in. South Africans love to find the humour in even the direst of situations and we found that the Chileans have the same ability.
To conclude our first day, we visited Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park which was created in 1926. This is not only Chile’s oldest National Park but is also the most popular with the highest number of visitors; it was easy to see why.
The following day we flew South to Balmaceda airport and headed down towards Cerro Castillo National Park. It was here, during our visit to the Huemul Rescue & Rehabilitation Center that Rewilding Chile is busy establishing, that we got to learn all about their national animal.
The Rewilding Chile team explained to us that the huemul deer is endangered, with only 1% of its original population remaining in the wild and fewer than 1,500 individuals worldwide, found only in Chile and Argentina. The huemul is also considered a flagship species, representing broader conservation efforts due to its cultural, ecological, and economic importance. The huemel deer is known as the “gardener” of the Patagonian forests as there is special relationship between the deer and lenga beech, the most dominant tree of the temperate subantarctic forests Patagonia. By feeding on dominant plant species, the huemul promotes plant diversity, creating space for a wider variety of young trees and shrubs. In addition, huemul deer browse more selectively than other ungulates. This feeding behaviour influences vegetation dynamics of the forest ecosystems, as the deer helps regulate and promote the growth of woody vegetation. This plant regulation function benefits the overall health of the forest, as it supports more diverse wildlife habitats.
We spent time with the conservation team learning about their challenges with livestock encroachment and wild boars all while trekking across picturesque landscapes. As we climbed up a section of the mountain, we were rewarded for our cardio efforts by a rare siting of a huemel grazing peacefully among the lenga trees. It was a humbling experience to be in the presence of these gentle and revered animals and to feel the love and intense passion the Rewilding Chile team has for this species.
During our time at Cerro Castillo National Park we explored the Las Horquetas area, where the team concentrates mostly on wildlife management, reforestation, and public access planning. They shared their strategy for protected area expansion as well as their restoration plans, including the removal of exotic pines (something we know a thing or two about). We also learned about their Route of Parks and Friends of the Parks programmes which like our Friends of the Biosphere programme are excellent initiatives that also create awareness and foster affinity and support towards the organisations vision.
On our last day in Cerro Castillo we met with one of Rewilding Chile’s community outreach officers who explained their community outreach initiatives and helped us gain a better understanding of the cultural landscape. This was also our first introduction to mate, a caffeinated herbal drink popular in South America, traditionally enjoyed in a gourd with a metal straw and shared in an interesting ritualistic manner.
From here we headed further south, travelling for 5 hours on gravel mountain passes dipping and winding through the contrasting landscapes to Puerto Bertrand. A lodge on the banks of the enchanting Baker River would be our new home for the next three days.
The next two days were spent exploring sections of Patagonia National Park! Patagonia National Park is one of the most emblematic ecological restoration projects in South America. It is known for its wildlife watching, including the guanaco, huemul deer, rewilded Darwin’s rhea, condors, puma and other key species.
We explored the park’s main headquarters and also immersed ourselves in the museum and its variety of activities. We met with Rewilding Chile’s wildlife rangers and had the privilege of being in the presence of three more huemel. Our good fortunes continued as we were offered more mate in the ranger’s cabin and learnt about daily activities undertaken by the rangers within the park. As we meandered through the many different sections of the park, we often saw the guanaco grazing and lazing about the landscape and had an incredible sighting of Chile’s national bird, the impressive Andean Condor with a wingspan of over 3 meters. We visited the border with Argentina and marvelled at the vast expanse of the Patagonian steppe while eating our sandwiches in the shade of the former Rio Baker Ranch.
We visited the Rewilding Chile team at the rhea breeding center where they told us about their Darwin’s rhea program that started in 2015 when the birds’ population was fewer than 20 individuals. Currently, their distribution area has expanded by more than 30% compared to the initial area. Once again, the team spoiled us with more mate.
We spent time searching rocky outcrops for one of our hosts favourite animals, the viscacha. Viscacha are incredibly well suited to their environment and were quite tricky to spot in between the crags but we persevered and managed to spot two of these native South American rodents. Our visit to the park was concluded by an exciting night drive in efforts to spot puma and a lucky few did. At first, we thought we had spotted a viscacha out for a night climb but then we saw the green glint and we knew we were in the presence of a puma. We were in awe as it wandered off into the night.
And in a blink of a week, Sunday morning arrived. We awoke to bid farewell to the dreamy Baker River with breathtaking Patagonia etched in our memories. We began the long journey back to Balmaceda airport along the same mountain passes and this time the scenery had a deeper meaning as it now held a unique place within us, infused by all that we had learnt and experienced with our amazing travel companions and hosts.
This week was enriching in so many ways. Beyond conservation, we discovered wonderful ways that Rewilding Chile and Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve can support and strengthen each other. We forged new relationships, understanding and solidarity. This after all was the intention of this partner support initiative. We are deeply grateful to DOB Ecology and the team at Rewilding Chile for this experience.