Hitting the Trails at the San Jorge Nature Reserve

In July, the Tierra Austral team conducted a rewarding field visit to the San Jorge Nature Reserve in Valparaíso Region, which is protected with a Derecho Real de Conservación (DRC) private lands conservation agreement.

Our goal for this field work was to monitor the property for compliance with the DRC. Tierra Austral monitors each of its DRC-protected properties at least once a year, and sometimes more often than that.

At San Jorge, as on all of our monitoring visits, we conducted a full visual inspection of the property, in close consultation with the baseline report that we create at the time that each DRC is signed. The baseline report includes a visual and narrative description of the appearance and condition of the property, with a special emphasis on the conservation values being protected by the DRC. The baseline also reviews the land uses that are permitted and prohibited in the DRC agreement. Then, when we monitor the property, we compare what we see with the baseline report, and document any natural or human-caused changes in the landscape.

One of the main highlights of this visit was the installation of a camera trap, a key tool to continue monitoring wildlife in the area. This camera will allow us to gather valuable information about the presence of species and their behavior in the reserve, complementing the conservation efforts led by Tierra Austral and the landowners.

We had perfect weather for our site visit. The property was full of life, beauty and color. The vegetation was especially green and vibrant, and we loved seeing añañuca flowers in full bloom. We are pleased to report that the property was in full compliance with the DRC, and we thank the Westcott family for their strong commitment to the conservation of this beautiful place. We also had the opportunity to spend time in the cozy workshop room, where the Westcotts’ host students for environmental programs. What a productive and inspiring day!