New Illustrated Guide to the Plants and Wildlife of the Valdivian Coastal Reserve Launched by The Nature Conservancy and Fundación Oceanósfera

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Chile and local marine conservation NGO Fundación Oceanósfera, launched an illustrated, bilingual guide (Spanish-English) to the flora and fauna of the Valdivian Coastal Reserve. The guide describes 100 species of marine and terrestrial plants and animals—including algae, fish, birds and marine mammals—found in the temperate coastal rainforest environment of this protected area, located in southernmost Chile and overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The guide will serve as a useful resource for the environmental education activities carried out by TNC with communities around the Reserve, and explains key concepts such as conservation objects, threatened and endemic species and the exploitation status of marine species such as fish, shellfish and crustaceans. It also provides general recommendations for visitors to the Reserve, such as when to notify authorities or the Reserve administration in the case of special or emergency situations.

The guide was put together by several conservation practitioners from TNC, including three park rangers from the Reserve itself—Marcelo Antillanca, Patricia Barría and Danilo González—and marine biologist and president of Oceanósfera, Carolina Zagal.

According to Carolina Zagal, founder and president of Fundación Oceanósfera, “collaboration is essential for solving environmental and educational challenges in a timely manner. The problems that threaten living beings today are so great that we cannot face them in isolation. This new guide is undoubtedly a valuable contribution towards protecting the environment because it is the result of an enhanced dialogue between diverse professionals, and the wisdom and experiences of local communities.”

Natalio Godoy, marine scientist for TNC Chile, highlights that “the alliance between TNC and Oceanósfera has allowed us to generate important support material to underpin our environmental education plan and reach more people. Our mission is the conservation of marine biodiversity and this material is essential for achieving this goal. We want society and local communities to be informed and be able to support our work aimed at conserving nature so that future generations can enjoy it in a sustainable way."