Planning the conservation of the Pitipalena-Añihué ACMU with a proposal to update its Management Plan
After months of collaborative work between the local community, public services and support organizations, the Pitipalena-Añihué Multiple Use Conservation Area (ACMU) concluded the workshop phase for the update of its Management Plan, defining a proposal that seeks to guide the management and protection of this valuable marine-coastal territory for the next five years.
This review is a priority action for the Regional Secretariat of the Environment and the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service of the Aysén Region, in conjunction with the community of Raúl Marín Balmaceda. This process is being carried out thanks to the work of Fondo Naturaleza Chile, funding from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), and the technical and financial support of WWF Chile, making it the first updated Management Plan for a Conservation Area in Chile, within the framework of the new environmental regulations.
The update marks a new milestone for this protected area, nationally recognized for its community origin and the active participation of the local community in its management since its inception.
In this regard, Jesús Rodríguez Rivas, Regional Manager of Marine Protected Areas for the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service (SBAP) , stated: “We are pleased to lead this process of institutional continuity, especially in an area as important as Pitipalena-Añihué. We deeply value the participatory approach taken in revising the Management Plan, working alongside various local, academic, and productive stakeholders. This document will serve as a roadmap, allowing us to project efficient management over the next five years, balancing the conservation of natural heritage with the sustainable use of the area.”
The proposal includes, among its main guidelines, actions aimed at addressing threats that affect the conservation of the area, strengthening monitoring and surveillance capacities, improving financing and communication mechanisms, and consolidating tools that allow for evaluating results and adapting management to future challenges.
A roadmap for the ACMU
“The proposal we have developed this time, compared to the first Management Plan, has the advantage of stemming from collaboration between a more aware and empowered community and a new, more appropriate institutional framework. The SBAP has incorporated the previous experiences of the MMA and CONAF, and benefited from the tremendous contribution of Fondo Naturaleza Chile, which not only provides funding but has also added its vision and participation to the work. This, along with WWF and other partners from the fields of science and conservation, and through a proven methodology, has facilitated consensus and the development of a shared strategy,” commented Rodrigo Parra, president of the Pitipalena-Añihué AMP Foundation .
The proposed update to the Management Plan establishes a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen the effective management of the Pitipalena-Añihué Conservation Area. It includes eight strategies aimed at strengthening the conservation and effective management of the area over the next five years. These address challenges such as reducing threats to biodiversity, strengthening monitoring and surveillance, communication, financing, and adaptive land management. It also proposes moving towards a more inclusive and representative governance model, where the community of Raúl Marín Balmaceda continues to play an active role in the local management of the Conservation Area.
"This update reflects the maturity that the conservation process has reached in Pitipalena-Añihué. Here we see how community participation, local knowledge, and collaboration between institutions allow us to project more effective management for the coming years. As the Ministry of the Environment, we value this work, which also becomes a pioneering experience within the framework of the implementation of the SBAP and the new institutional framework for biodiversity conservation in Chile," highlighted the Regional Secretary of the Environment, Eugenio Canales .
María Elisa Arroyo, Protected Areas Coordinator at WWF Chile , highlighted that this process reflects the evolution of the protected area since the development of its first Management Plan. “The revision of this proposal incorporates lessons learned over the past few years and projects them into a much more robust roadmap for the area's management. We now have more mature conditions based on local experiences marked by participation. Advances in areas such as monitoring, the achievements related to the puye fishery, and the new institutional framework undoubtedly open up significant opportunities to strengthen the area's governance. This consolidates a more inclusive model where the Raúl Marín Balmaceda community continues to contribute its knowledge and territorial experience to conservation decisions as part of the Local Management Council. The history of the Pitipalena-Añihué Protected Area demonstrates that conservation is more effective when built on local knowledge, collaborative work, and a shared vision for the future,” she stated.
“At Fondo Naturaleza Chile, we celebrate this milestone of submitting the proposal for the Management Plan for the Pitipalena-Añihué Marine Protected Area because it represents the validation of an instrument that has been key to providing certainty and an integrated framework of open conservation standards for the concrete management of the areas, with a budget, zoning, and clear definitions to mobilize resources responsibly,” explained Eugenio Rengifo, Executive Director of Fondo Naturaleza Chile . This allows us to create “a bridge between the need, structured programmatically, and the funding possibilities, so as not to duplicate efforts and to advance in the role we have been given of mobilizing resources for the effective conservation of our protected natural treasures,” he added.
With the completion of this stage, the proposed update to the Management Plan moves on to the next phases of review and institutional validation, consolidating a shared vision for the future of Pitipalena-Añihué and reaffirming that conservation is more effective when it is built from the territory, with participation, collaboration and long-term commitment.
Regarding the "Pitipalena - Añihue" Multiple Use Conservation Area
The Pitipalena-Añihué area is located in the Cisnes Commune, specifically in the Pitipalena fjord to Punta Guala, to the north and Isla La Leona in the Refugio Channel to the south, within the jurisdictional limits of the Aysén Region.
On February 18, 2014, the AMCP-MU Pitipalena Añihue was created by Supreme Decree (No. 13) of the Ministry of Environment, which has as priority objectives: to conserve the environmental quality of the riverine, estuarine and marine ecological systems, to promote their conservation in the area of influence, to maintain the integrity of the landscape, biodiversity and biological productivity as well as to recover marine resources for the sustainable use of the community of Raúl Marín Balmaceda and to enhance development opportunities compatible with the uses of the territory and the coastal zone.
About this process
The update of the Management Plan for the Pitipalena-Añihue Multiple Use Conservation Area is a priority action for the Regional Secretariat of the Environment and the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service of the Aysén Region, in conjunction with the community of Raúl Marín Balmaceda. This process is being carried out thanks to the work of Fondo Naturaleza Chile, funding from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), and technical and financial support from WWF Chile, making it the first updated Management Plan for a Conservation Area in Chile, within the framework of the new environmental regulations.
Cover photo credit: Felipe Toledo (WWF)
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