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Chile

Villa Quinchao

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Conservation benefit: Permanent protection of 252 acres of marine wetland bird habitat

Community benefit: Bird blinds, interpretive signs, gear, and education for school environmental club

Date Approved: 02.2021

Ecotourism

This project supports a local conservation-based tourism initiative.

Ocean

This project protects ocean ecosystems, making coastal communities more economically and physically secure in the face of climate change.

This wildlife paradise of the Chiloé Archipelago is home to whales, otters, dolphins, and abundant birdlife. But it is threatened by pollution from aquaculture and vehicle traffic in areas where shorebirds nest.

Seacology is working with the small indigenous community of Villa Quinchao, population about 200. It has asked the Chilean government to declare 252 acres of marine wetland as a wildlife sanctuary. This area has so far avoided serious environmental damage, and legal protection will let the community keep cattle from damaging bird habitat. It will also protect areas of ancestral importance to the community, most of whom are descendants of Mapuche peoples.

The community will use a Seacology grant to teach local children about the unique ecosystems of the Chiloé archipelago. The Teresa Cárdenas elementary school already has a student environmental organization and an environmental education program. Students there will get binoculars, telescopes, and nature handbooks to enhance their birdwatching outings and study. The kids will also get t-shirts and hats—fun items, and useful for quickly identifying the group members when on nature outings.

The grant will also fund construction of two wooden bird blinds, shelters from which students can watch birds closely. Community members will be hired to build the structures. Finally, the grant will fund six large interpretive signs, which will provide environmental information to both students and tourists. Placed at the most-visited sites, they will feature the region’s iconic birds, the wetland habitat, and the local culture. They will also teach visitors good practices for bird watching and wetland conservation.

Project Updates

June 2022

This project, supporting the Bahía Villa Quinchao Nature Sanctuary, has wrapped up. Community participation has been high, and local people continue to show interest in conserving the important marine wetland.

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February 2022

This project is nearly finished. Our project partners have put up the bird observation blinds, installed interpretive signs, and acquired equipment for the school environmental club. At a ceremony in December, at which our field representative Claudio Delgado spoke, our partners delivered the equipment to the school and inaugurated the bird blinds. Next, they will prepare and print a nature guide for the students.

Claudio says that the community values the project highly and expects it to both support appreciation of the environment and promote income from nature tourism on the island.

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June 2021

Our project partners are meeting (mostly online) to plan where they should put up the bird blinds. They have ordered materials and equipment and are planning a visit to the site soon.

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March 2021

Chile’s Ministry of Environment has approved the village’s application for a wildlife sanctuary! The new protected area is called the Bahía de Quinchao Wetland Reserve.

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