Conaf Appoints First Woman as Superintendent of Torres del Paine National Park

Following the change in the regional directorship of the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) in Magallanes and the formation of a new regional team led by John Revello, one of the notable changes is the appointment of Mónica Alvarado Álvarez as superintendent of Torres del Paine National Park, thus becoming the first woman to hold this position.

After having been the Provincial Head of the Conaf Office in Última Esperanza for the last 4 years, Mónica Alvarado assumes the role of superintendent of Torres del Paine National Park. This position was created after the mega-fire that affected the park in 2011 and the first months of 2012, initially being held by Federico Hechenleitner, Michael Arcos, José Linnebrink, and Gersom Frías. Prior to the creation of this role, the position of Administrator, also held by men, was in place.

In this way, Mónica Alvarado becomes the first woman to lead Torres del Paine National Park in its entire history. She has a distinguished career in Conaf that began in 1998, precisely as a park ranger for the Park, where she was part of the second generation of women to join the staff.

In her early years, she worked in both administrative and operational roles at entrance gates, becoming familiar with visitor services—an experience that would later be key in institutional modernization processes. Throughout her career, she has combined field experience and administrative management, notably her role in the finance area of the provincial office, where she worked on reactivating entrance fee collection in protected areas during the pandemic and was part of implementing payment platforms, contributing to the modernization of key processes for the reopening of the units during the exceptional period.

During the years she was Provincial Head in Última Esperanza, she carried out her management in a period marked by contingencies and various territorial issues, consolidating her leadership through team coordination in a vast province; strengthening links with public and private actors; and, as a priority focus, promoting a strong commitment to wildfire prevention in the region.

As superintendent of Torres del Paine National Park, Mónica Alvarado will be responsible for leading the reorganization processes within the park, as well as the future transfer of the unit to the new Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service (SBAP).