Want to lend a hand in the creation of a new national park? Interested in the restoration of an overgrazed estancia into a wild protected area? Conservacion Patagonica’s volunteer program provides interested, hardy conservationists with the opportunity to get involved in the future Patagonia National Park Project. It’s a wild new experience, but a life-changing one for those up to the challenge.
Since 2006, our volunteer program has received hundreds of volunteers from around the world. With their help, we’ve dismantled hundreds of kilometers of old ranch fences, built dozens of kilometers of trail, collected kilos of native seeds, and controlled numerous invasive plant species. But there’s plenty of work left to go! More fences to come down, more trails to build, more habitat to restore. We look forward to meeting more volunteers in the seasons to come, and working alongside them toward the completion of this project.
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Volunteers from all over the World |
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Volunteers doing field work |
In recent years, we’ve organized the program into three- week sessions, from November through March. We limit group size to eight to ten participants, usually a mix of Chileans and foreigners, of all ages. Our volunteer leader directs and supervises fieldwork and camp life, with the help of a volunteer cook. Since most of the work of the volunteers lies in remote areas of the park, participants spend the majority of their time camping at backcountry base camps near work sites. Out in the field, volunteers have minimal access to fresh foods, showers, communication—but enjoy spectacular views, abundant wildlife, and good camaraderie.
As a recent volunteer puts it:
“The weeks flew by faster than I could have imagined. When it came time to leave the estancia, I realized how unique an experience I had enjoyed. I was able to help with the formation of a national park that will contribute significantly to the conservation of vital ecosystems. I was lucky enough to work in stunningly beautiful landscapes every day. I made friends and practiced a foreign language. Most meaningfully, I formed a connection to the land, the people, and the culture of Patagonia.”
If you think the program might be for you, please read the following pages:
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