About us
Who We Are
The work of Fundación Alerce 3000 is carried out mainly in the Vodudahue Reserve, in northern Patagonia, where we conduct local production of native plants for restoration, conservation, and sustainable silviculture. We also focus on education, engagement, and outreach.
Through our nursery, we establish plantings with native species—most notably the alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides), a species of high ecological value—under adaptive management approaches and practices that respect the surrounding environment.
In parallel, BOPAR Conservación develops silvicultural projects in the Los Ríos Region, promoting the establishment and management of plantations of both native and exotic species for multiple purposes. By using innovative silvicultural practices, we seek to improve forest quality, diversify its uses, reconvert grasslands, and ensure the continuous provision of ecosystem goods and services.
What sets us apart is our role as a bridge between science and the forest: we create an active platform for learning, research, and training for students, professionals, and communities. We promote theses, internships, multidisciplinary research, and scientific publications, linking academic knowledge with hands-on field experience.
What We Do
Education and Science:
Support for theses, research projects, professional internships, and training programs.
Community Engagement:
Collaboration with local communities, institutions, and universities to promote productive conservation.
Sustainable Forest Management:
Plantations and ecological restoration under replicable models (Bopar + FA3000).
Nursery and Plant Production:
Seed collection and production of native and exotic plants for restoration and forest management.
Mission:
To drive projects that integrate conservation, science, and education for the care and restoration of the temperate rainforests of southern Chile. Through sustainable silvicultural practices, applied research, and the training of new generations, we strengthen the connection between people, the environment, and cultural heritage.
Vision:
To become a national and international benchmark in promoting sustainable forest management models that integrate plant production, ecological restoration, and scientific knowledge, while preserving both the environment and cultural heritage.
Core Pillars
RESEARCH – Knowing is conserving
We connect science with the forest. We support theses, internships, and applied research that transform data into decisions and experiences into publications. The forest is both our classroom and our laboratory.
EDUCATE – Teaching is sowing the future
We train people in nurseries, plantations, and ecological restoration. We teach sustainable forest management and productive conservation, linking technical and scientific education with direct hands-on field experience.
APPLY – To conserve is also to act
We carry out restoration projects, forest management, and plant production, always guided by principles of sustainability, respect for biodiversity, and commitment to local communities.
Brief History of Vodudahue
In 1620, a maritime expedition led by Juan García Tao —along with a land expedition under Captain Diego Flores de León— departed from Chiloé toward southern Chile and Argentina, discovering the Comau Fjord and the navigable Vodudahue River. This gave rise to the belief that they had found the passage leading to a mythical city of gold and silver known as the City of the Caesars.
During the second half of the 1990s, American entrepreneur and conservationist Douglas Tompkins acquired 1,502 hectares in the area and established the Vodudahue Estate, where he developed a native tree nursery. In 2014, Fundación Alerce 3000 took up the torch to advance a conservation project in the region.
Conocer es conservar. Enseñar es sembrar futuro.