What is Hacienda Puchegüín?

Hacienda Puchegüín is a vast 133,000-hectare private property nestled in the heart of Chilean Patagonia’s Cochamó Valley – an area often referred to as the “Yosemite of South America.”

The largest holding in the Cochamó Valley, Puchegüín boasts a breathtaking tapestry of ecosystems – from ancient alerce forests to pristine lakes and vibrant wetlands. This landscape serves as a critical wildlife corridor, a haven for endangered species, and a vital carbon sink that mitigates climate change. Local communities have called Puchegüín and the greater Cochamó Valley home for generations, with their way of life deeply intertwined with the land.

Unlike the 1,630,000+ hectares of Chilean and Argentine protected areas that surround it, Puchegüín stands vulnerable with no legal protection. Industrial development, land fragmentation, and unregulated tourism have posed continuous threats. In 2022, the property’s sale listing ignited fears of a new owner who might not understand its significance. Conserva Puchegüín emerged to combat this possibility and secure permanent protection for this irreplaceable ecosystem and its communities.

What are Conserva Puchegüín’s goals?

Conserva Puchegüín is an international alliance led by local NGO Puelo Patagonia. Our mission is to secure permanent protection for Puchegüín hand-in-hand with the local community, ensuring its wonders are conserved for generations to come. The alliance’s goals are multifaceted.

  • Purchase Puchegüín and safeguard irreplaceable ecosystems and biodiversity.

  • Protect a critical carbon sink.

  • Create a binational conservation corridor that connects almost 1,640,000 hectares of protected areas across Chilean and Argentine Patagonian.

  • Ensure the long-term sustainability of the local way of life in the Cochamó Valley.

  • Develop a model of sustainable economic growth through ecotourism that empowers the local community and contributes to the development of the entire region.

  • Improve local infrastructure and services.

  • Implement an innovative, participative conservation model driven by local community leadership.

Be a part of creating a thriving future for Puchegüín’s wildlife, communities, and ecosystems.

From a threat, we saw a unique opportunity and acted to protect a critical territory for its environmental and cultural value. This campaign is the beginning of fulfilling a dream we aim to achieve hand-in-hand with the local community, where traditional ways of life are fortified by conservation and nature tourism.

Andrés Diez, Puelo Patagonia Executive Director

Puchegüín is an important refuge and biological corridor for threatened native species, such as huemul, Patagonian vizcacha, Darwin’s frog, monito del monte, and alerce – the world’s oldest tree. Securing this property will reduce the fragmentation of ecosystems that are critical for sustaining life on earth, in turn preventing the loss of biodiversity of unparalleled richness. The question isn’t why conserve Puchegüín, but how could we not?

Juan Jose Donoso, The Nature Conservancy Chile Executive Director

Securing the Puchegüín property not only protects the Cochamó region; it is also a crucial step towards safeguarding Patagonia as a whole. True conservation requires a holistic approach. This philosophy guided our purchase of a key parcel near Cochamó’s entrance last year, and it fuels our continued involvement in inspiring further action and involvement in the region.

Anne Deane, Freyja Foundation President

We must do everything possible to keep Cochamó wild and pristine, so that it can continue to be a haven for national and international climbers, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts and support the development of the local community for years to come.

Macarena Sánchez, Patagonia Chile Environmental Manager

The Wyss Foundation is proud to pledge support for protecting Hacienda Puchegüín. The region signifies an immense stretch of land crucial to the biodiversity of the area and is a haven for the local communities. Protecting Hacienda Puchegüín will save endangered species of wildlife and preserve the cultural value of thousands of hectares of land.

Molly McUsic, Wyss Foundation President

United by a shared dream for the region, Conserva Puchegüín combines local leadership from Puelo Patagonia with the global expertise of The Nature Conservancy, Freyja Foundation, Patagonia Inc. and Wyss Foundation. This powerful alliance fosters a collaborative model empowering local communities and providing a blueprint for resilient, nature-positive communities across Chile and the world.

Our process

Led by Cochamó’s own, Conserva Puchegüín is collaborating with the community and authorities at every stage of the process, securing a future where traditions and ecosystems thrive together. The campaign not only centers local communities’ needs as the foundation for any and all development, but also actively seeks their involvement to ensure local traditions, culture, and ways of life thrive for generations to come.

Raise funds

Acquire Puchegüín

Create action plan

Conduct zoning

Create protected area