In Chile, at the Los Nogales Nature Sanctuary, we can clearly witness our biodiversity ambitions in action. In the vast geological basin surrounding Los Bronces, an area of 11,025 hectares that is representative of the high mountain ecosystems of central Chile, Anglo American has set a distinct path towards achieving a positive and lasting impact on the biodiversity that surrounds our operations.
The Los Nogales Nature Sanctuary project has been a truly collaborative effort that has involved many different local and regional stakeholders. The project has included alliances with various organisations and renowned researchers from the Universidad de Chile, the Universidad Mayor, the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Biota, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Capital Natural, among other institutions.
In 2023, the project reached an important milestone with the acquisition of the entire Los Nogales Nature Sanctuary property by Anglo American. This was a critical step in securing a more unified and coordinated management approach towards this area of rich biodiversity. Within the protected area resides various ecosystems, including high Andean wetlands and creek forests. These ecosystems boast meadows, estuaries and streams that are critical in providing the wider region with natural water supplies, air quality regulation, and CO2 capture, as well as allowing for a connection of people with nature through sustainable tourism.
At the heart of the successful conservation of this naturally diverse area is the Management Plan that has been developed in collaboration with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The Plan has an implementation horizon of 10 years and designates that 63.8% of the total surface area will be allocated to conservation, 35.1% to preservation, and 0.3% to public use, ensuring that the rich biodiversity that exists within the Los Nogales Nature Sanctuary is protected well into the future.
As part of this plan, Anglo American is currently involved in various projects and initiatives to promote and protect the Sanctuary’s biodiversity, including the monitoring and conservation of the various ecosystems that exist within the area, the sustainable management of livestock in conjunction with groups of traditional cattle ranchers, a study of the region’s carnivores, with emphasis on the puma (mountain lion), as well as facilitating the training of individuals from local communities to become custodians of the natural environment.
“We are convinced that implementing the Management Plan in this protected area will be an enormous contribution, not only to the conservation of the wetlands, creek forests, estuaries and streams of the sanctuary identified in the plan, but also to the inhabitants of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, where the proportion of protected areas per inhabitant is the lowest in the country.” – Juan Pablo Schaeffer, Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability
