Ten years of public funding committed to consolidating the Route of Parks vision

The Route of Parks crosses 1/3 of Chile, covering three regions (Los Lagos, Aysén, and Magallanes), and presenting economic opportunities for more than 60 gateway communities.  This 1,700 -mile scenic route is a territorial vision crafted by Rewilding Chile through the creation of 7 national parks and the expansion of 3 others. We believe that conservation is not only an urgent action to counteract the crises of extinction of species and climate change, but it’s also important for local dynamism as an alternative to extractive economies. 

Rewilding Chile is working to promote the route of parks vision and bridging together different stakeholders, including public entities, foundations, academia, individuals, and private companies, aiming to consolidate a private-public structure to project the work over the years to come. 

The recently announced “Route of Parks strategic macro regional project” is a collaborative private-public initiative, involving 10-year public funding from the  Chilean Economic Development Agency (CORFO), to foster networking, governance, and the promotion of the Route of Parks in the three regions composing the Route (Los Lagos, Aysén y Magallanes). 

Some actions that the program contemplates are the finalization of management plans for the national parks, certification, and training of local guides and nature-based services providers, infrastructure upgrades and maintenance (signage, trails, climbing routes). Also, technical studies such as the Tourist Destination Saturation Index for different localities, and actions for positioning the destination, such as participation in travel shows and marketing material (videos, brochures, travel guides, Route of parks passport, etc.).