Chile El Boldo Reserve

For generations, landowners and residents from the area had valued this forest, one of the only remaining examples of an unique ecosystem that once dominated central Chile. However, due to its proximity to Santiago, and the beautiful Pacific coast the area has been overdeveloped, forcing up land prices and encroaching on this rare habitat. As a result, it is impossible to purchase land for conservation, but instead it is necessary to persuade often wealthy landowners to put their land into conservation. It was not until the early 2000’s that an initiative was established to protect what is left of this vulnerable forest type.

The humid forest of El Boldo is relatively intact and it contains an abundance of climbers, ferns and herbaceous flowering plant species, many of which are endemic to Chile. It is the most valuable reserve of native flora in Chile’s central coastline. The dry sclerophyllous forest, adjacent to the zapallar habitat, also contains high levels of endemism with a number of dry-stem plants such as the chagual, the tebos cactus and trees such as peumo, boldo and molle.

Realizing this valuable ecosystem should be protected for future generations, local landowners have grouped together forming CBZ, Corporación Bosques de Zapallar a non profit organization dedicated to the conversation of the mediterranean forest of Zapallar and its surroundings.