This document presents the results of activities carried out by the Chilean institutions CODEFF and UACH, which make up the Chile chapter of Global Forest Watch, an initiative of the World Resources Institute. This report describes the state of native forest resources in Chile, and in particular, describes for the first time the extent and distribution of the country’s frontier forests (based on 1995 data). Frontier forests in Chile are defined as mature forests or dense timberline forests, of at least 5,000 hectares, that are made up of native species, and are intact or have been only slightly altered. Chile’s frontier forests are therefore a subset of Chile’s native forests, in turn defined as those composed of native species unique to the region.

Chile’s frontier forests constitute a global reserve of biodiversity. They contain a wide array of unique species assemblages, including many tree species that are endemic either to Chile or to the southern cone of South America. These are some of the most productive forests in the world, storing enormous amounts of carbon, which contributes to global climate regulation. While this report focuses mainly on frontier forests, we recognize the importance of smaller patches of native forest (less than 5,000 hectares) for the maintenance of biodiversity and other ecological processes and as a genetic reservoir for future restoration of these outstanding forest ecosystem types. Therefore, the report also highlights the current distribution and state of conservation of these smaller patches of native forests.

This study is based on the digital information generated by the project, "Official Land Register and Evaluation of the Native Vegetative Resources of Chile," carried out for the Chilean government agency responsible for forest management—the Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF). These data constitute the most up-to-date information (1995) on forest cover and land use for the country. The GFW-Chile team developed a methodology for delineating frontier forests in Chile based on CONAF’s data. Afterwards, a technical advisory committee, made up of experts in the field of forestry and forest ecosystems, revised the proposed methodology and contributed critiques and ideas for its application.

The first part of the report describes the importance of the Chilean forest, both locally and globally. The second part briefly describes the forest industry, its importance in the national economy, and existing legislation affecting forests. Regarding frontier forests, the report presents data concerning their extent, geographic distribution, state of conservation, and degree of representation in the public and private systems of protected areas. The report also provides information about industrial and development projects associated with forest ecosystems. All information is illustrated through maps produced by GFW-Chile.

Results of the analysis show that, in Chile, frontier forests occupy 4.5 million hectares, or approximately 34 percent of all forested land. Approximately 27 percent of these frontier forests are in protected areas, both state- and privately owned. At the regional level, the extent of frontier forests increases as one moves southward through the country. Regions in which most of the development and industrial projects have occurred have fewer frontier forests left. For example:

• Regions VI and VII have lost all their frontier forests, and only fragments of slightly altered or undisturbed mature native forests remain.

• Region VIII, where most of the forestry plantations are concentrated, contains only 17,624 hectares of frontier forests, of which 80 percent are unprotected.

• Region IX has 154,527 hectares of frontier forest, but a large proportion (60.8 percent) is protected.

• In Region X, 26.6 percent of the large area of frontier forests (1,576,175 ha) is protected; however, the unique rainforests of the region’s Coastal Mountain Range are at high risk of fragmentation due to a planned coastal highway.

• After Region VIII, Region X has the greatest number of forestry plantations and industries in the country.

• Finally, Region XI and XII are the least disturbed regions, with 1,778,428.3 hectares and 946,930.5 hectares of frontier forest, respectively.