{"id":5988,"date":"2025-01-27T20:58:05","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T20:58:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zyn.xar.mybluehost.me\/website_f6c74d10\/sin-categorizar\/international-climbers-visit-to-cochamo-highlights-urgency-of-conserving-and-securing-mountain-access-on-recognized-climbing-routes\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T21:08:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T21:08:22","slug":"international-climbers-visit-to-cochamo-highlights-urgency-of-conserving-and-securing-mountain-access-on-recognized-climbing-routes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/conservapucheguin.org\/en\/news\/international-climbers-visit-to-cochamo-highlights-urgency-of-conserving-and-securing-mountain-access-on-recognized-climbing-routes\/","title":{"rendered":"International climbers’ visit to Cocham\u00f3 highlights urgency of conserving and securing mountain access on recognized climbing routes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Athletes Tommy Caldwell, D\u00f6rte Pietron, Sean Villanueva and Timmy O’Neill traveled to Cocham\u00f3, one of the most emblematic rock climbing destinations in Chile and the world, to support the Conserva Pucheg\u00fc\u00edn campaign, an initiative that seeks to raise US$78 million to acquire and conserve a 133,000 hectare private land.<\/p>\n

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For 11 days, the athletes, accompanied by a film crew, traveled routes on granite walls and fissures in the Cocham\u00f3 Valley, surrounded by ancient larch forests, rivers, lagoons and glaciers that include important climbing valleys such as Trinidad and Anfiteatro, places that are located within the private land that Conserva Pucheguin is seeking to acquire and which is 1.5 times the size of Santiago.<\/p>\n

“Chileans have something really special, it totally exceeded my expectations in terms of the climbing, but also the place, the alerce trees, the condors, and the fact that the valley is a pristine, almost untouched place untouched by humans, is an added value. Most sport communities assume that they go to places to climb and they’re going to be there, and I’ve learned that’s not the case,” noted Tommy Caldwell, professional climber and global sport activist for Patagonia.<\/p>\n

He added that he has known about conservation projects in different parts of the world, mainly in North America, “but I had never seen a territory managed by local communities, and where climbers are a strong voice, it is an improved model. It’s very inspiring, so I think my advice to people is to follow organizations like Conserva Pucheg\u00fc\u00edn, there are a lot of people behind it who are doing things right,” he said.<\/p>\n

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Free and conscious access to the mountain<\/strong><\/p>\n

In our country and the world many climbing sites have been closed due to lack of agreements between visitors and owners.<\/p>\n

Cocham\u00f3 faces similar risks, as 62% of the valley’s surface area is private land. Thanks to the work of local organizations such as the Cocham\u00f3 Valley Organization (OVC), landowners and visitors have achieved a balance and organization to manage tourism and protect the environmental and cultural values of the area, keeping these valleys accessible to the public.<\/p>\n

“Many people who visit this place and climb in these valleys are unaware that these are private lands. There are close to a thousand climbers from all over the world who come here year after year. After being put up for sale, places like Anfiteatro, Trinidad, and El Arco face the real threat of access being prohibited, something that has already happened in other iconic places around the world,” said Macarena S\u00e1nchez, Patagonia Chile’s marketing and environmental director. “The conservation of Pucheg\u00fc\u00edn is a commitment to the future of the sport, biodiversity and local communities, so seeking the funds to acquire the land and conserve it is a commitment on a global level.”<\/p>\n

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Fundraising for conservation and sustainable development<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Conserva Pucheg\u00fc\u00edn campaign, led by the NGO Puelo Patagonia together with The Nature Conservancy, Freyja Foundation, Fundaci\u00f3n Wyss and Patagonia, has already raised 46% of the funds needed to acquire the land and develop a conservation model that regulates and makes sustainable recreational activities such as climbing, while also safeguarding the historical and traditional uses of the local communities.<\/p>\n

Various organizations and individuals from around the world have donated to the initiative. “Cocham\u00f3 is a place that inspires those who know it. The visit of these climbers is an example of how conservation can motivate people from all over the world to unite for the same cause,” said Andr\u00e9s Diez, executive director of Puelo Patagonia.<\/p>\n

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“In these eight months of campaigning we have made significant progress in fundraising, preparation of technical reports and in the participation plan. We have visited more than 150 people throughout the commune and 22 neighborhood councils, and there is still a long way to go. We are confident that Chile and the world understand the value of protecting such a unique place. Cocham\u00f3 is not only a natural paradise, but an opportunity to demonstrate that conservation can be the path to sustainable development for people,” added Diez.<\/p>\n

Mercedes Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez, Leader of conservation projects in Chilean and Argentine Patagonia, and Director of Conservation(s) for The Nature Conservancy Chile, highlighted the participatory process through which the campaign is being carried out. “We are sure that Pucheg\u00fc\u00edn will be an example both in Chile and the world, due to its size, and as a model of radical collaboration with local communities, scientists, public and private institutions that will promote a new way of doing philanthropy at the national level,” she concluded.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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