Los Lagos Commits to a Green Future with Native Forest Alliance
The Los Lagos Region took a significant step toward environmental conservation by signing the Clean Production Agreement (APL), within the framework of the national seminar "Roots for the Future" held at the Austral University of Chile in Valdivia. This agreement, which also involves the Los Ríos and La Araucanía regions, aims to implement management plans on over 5,000 hectares of native forest, with the Los Lagos Region hosting more than 20% of the national area of this vital ecosystem.
Carlos Recondo, regional administrator of Los Lagos, highlighted the region's strategic importance in the fight against climate change. "Native forest is a pillar of our climate action. We want economic development in harmony with nature, where well-managed forests are a source of employment, energy, and conservation," he stated.
The APL is an initiative led by the Sustainability and Climate Change Agency of Corfo and the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), and is supported by the Ministry of the Environment, regional governments, and technical organizations. Its focus is on strengthening the bioeconomy of southern Chile, promoting the use of dry firewood and biofuels, and meeting the ambitious goal of restoring 200,000 hectares of native forest by 2030.
In the Los Lagos Region, actions for fire prevention and enforcement are being intensified, along with the incorporation of advanced technology for forest surveillance. Recondo emphasized the need to shift from an extractive perspective to one that views the forest as strategic natural capital. "We must leave behind the extractive view and understand the forest as strategic natural capital. That is the path Chile needs," he concluded.
This agreement represents a model of public-private collaboration that could lay the groundwork for future initiatives of conservation and sustainable management of natural resources in Chile and the region.
