Central Chile is one of the five Mediterranean-climate regions on Earth, and like the others it is a biodiversity hotspot: dry summers, wet winters, and a flora largely endemic, hemmed in by the Andes on one side and the Pacific on the other and cut off north and south by desert and ice. That isolation is nearly total, and it has made Chile a biological island.
The Atacama to the north is the driest place on the planet. The Andes above Santiago carry glaciers that supply the city’s water and are retreating fast. Between them lies the matorral, the Chilean shrubland, which has been cleared for vineyards, avocado, and urban growth so extensively that very little is formally protected. The endemic Chilean palm, once abundant, is down to scattered stands.
The organizations here defend the glaciers against a mining industry that has proposed removing some of them outright, protect the remaining matorral and the temperate rainforest further south, and confront a mega-drought that has run for well over a decade and shows no sign of ending.
Environmental Organizations in This Bioregion
16 organizations working across this landscape.
Amigos del Mar
Promote the conservation of the marine and coastal ecosystems through community development and campaigns that help visualize human impact and generate ultimately a ...
Fundación Abejas de Chile
Fundación Abejas de Chile promotes native bee conservation through field research, digital education, habitat restoration (Comarcas), biodiversity monitoring,
Fundacion Accion Fauna/ Action Fauna Foundation
To contribute to the conservation and appreciation of nature using an interdisciplinary network of science, art and education. We are a leading entity in conservatio...
Fundación Capital Azul
Fundación Capital Azul is dedicated to establishing marine refuges (TURF Reserves) in alliance with Chilean artisanal fishermen unions.
Fundación Cosmos
Fundación Cosmos is a Chilean non-profit dedicated to regenerating the relationship between people and the ecosystems they inhabit.
Fundación de Conservación Tierra Austral
Creating opportunities for private lands conservation
Fundacion El Árbol
Generate a cultural change towards a more sustainable and inclusive society, through environmental education, waste management and sustainable design.
Fundación Fondo Naturaleza Chile
Fondo Naturaleza Chile is a non-profit organization, which aims to mobilize and manage resources for large-scale nature conservation in Chile. We seek to strengthen ...
Fundacion Generation Chile
Inclusive training for youth employment in the green industry in Chile
Fundación Horizonte Ciudadano
Horizonte Ciudadano is a foundation created in 2018 by former President Michelle Bachelet. It is a non-profit, open, non-partisan foundation, inspired by the values ...
Fundación Plastic Oceans Chile
Through programs in Education, Activism, and Art, we combat plastic pollution in all it shapes and forms.
Fundación Punta de Lobos
Punta de Lobos is a very special place exceptionally for surfing and artisanal fishing. Its flora, fauna and incredible geography make it a unique corner of Chile a...
Fundación Reforestemos
Fundación Reforestemos is a non-profit founded in 2011 in Chilean Patagonia. It promotes reforestation in LatAm with public, private, and citizen support.
Fundacion Rompientes
Fundación Rompientes is an organization that aims to promote, encourage and propose integrated models of management of Chilean coastal zones
Red Chilena de Bioinsumos
We work towards a sustainable agriculture.