Cerro Castillo National Park: Patagonian Pride and a Living Example of Conservation

Cerro Castillo showcases a breathtaking natural landscape: vast lenga and ñirre forests, snow-capped peaks, meltwater rivers, and skies crossed by condors. This is the home of the endangered huemul — the elusive Andean deer — as well as pumas, culpeo foxes, and unique birds of the southern forest. It is a robust ecosystem where every species plays a role in maintaining the area’s ecological balance. 

Beyond its beauty, the park plays essential roles: it regulates water cycles, stores carbon, and offers a privileged space for environmental education, nature-based tourism, and meaningful connection with nature. 

The certification ceremony took place at Laguna Chiguay, a symbolic location near the park’s administrative area, surrounded by lenga trees and mountains that capture the essence of Patagonia’s landscape.

It was a symbolic moment that brought together key actors in the process. Mentors, strategic partners, and local communities shaped this historic milestone for Chile, reaffirming the value of leadership rooted in the territory. 

The Austral Patagonia Program, acting as technical and facilitating partner through Universidad Austral de Chile and with support from Pew Charitable Trusts, helped turn the park’s vision into measurable, sustainable results. It also mobilized various mentors and organizations including the Municipality of Río Ibáñez, Fundación Rewilding Chile, Fundación Áreas Protegidas, the Cerro Castillo Tourism Association, SAG Aysén, the National Service for Women and Gender Equity, Fundación Con Garra, Atakama Outdoors, Access PANAM, and Empresa MACAYA. Since certification, new local and national partnerships have continued to emerge. 

Cerro Castillo’s inclusion on the IUCN Green List is the result of a rigorous process evaluated under international standards that reward excellence in protected area management. 

This milestone not only recognized what was already being done well, but also strengthened the park team’s capacities, institutional leadership, and a shared vision with local communities and strategic partners. Today, Cerro Castillo shines brighter than ever, more resilient and better prepared for the challenges ahead. 

This progress has been possible thanks to the steadfast commitment of the park’s field team, led by Area Administrator Mario Alegría, whose leadership — together with a dedicated team — has been key to building an exemplary management model. None of this would have been possible without the commitment of the rangers and professionals who carry out their work with passion and deep local roots. They are the ones who uphold conservation on a daily basis. 

The Green List has served as a platform to spotlight these efforts, attract strategic allies, and channel new resources. As a result, the park achieved a 51% increase in its annual budget, from 11.9 to 18 million Chilean pesos. This financial boost is helping to strengthen management capabilities and support long-term conservation planning. 

Additionally, a new public-use infrastructure project is being developed through a participatory approach that incorporates local voices. Meetings with community actors have helped shape a shared vision for future facilities that will improve visitor experience, support the park team’s work, and promote responsible tourism aligned with the park’s conservation goals. 

What happened in Cerro Castillo is not an exception — it is an invitation. A roadmap for other protected areas seeking not only to conserve, but to manage with coherence, commitment, and participation. 

This progress also strengthens Chile’s voice in global biodiversity forums — such as the 30x30 target — and encourages a model of respectful tourism that recognizes the intrinsic value of the land and its people.   

Cerro Castillo is more than just a protected area: it is living proof of how territorial leadership can be built through conservation. Its inclusion on the Green List didn’t just meet a technical standard — it revitalized collective energy, reinforced local capacities, and opened up new spaces for dialogue and collaboration. 

In its living geography — made of ravines, southern forests, and open skies — lies a shared vision of the present and the future. A way to care for natural and cultural heritage with professionalism, closeness, and belonging. And in that alliance between nature and its stewards, a conservation model is born — one that deserves to be replicated, celebrated, and sustained.