Heart of Cochamó in Chilean Patagonia to be protected after historic purchase
Today, Freyja joins our partners in celebrating a major conservation victory in Chilean Patagonia: the largest land holding in Cochamó is no longer for sale.
Alongside our Conserva Puchegüín partners Puelo Patagonia, The Nature Conservancy, Patagonia Inc., and the Wyss Foundation, we are proud to announce the purchase of Fundo Puchegüín, a 328,351-acre (132,995-hectare) property of undeveloped nature in the heart of Cochamó in Chile’s northern Patagonia.
In April 2024, we launched the Conserva Puchegüín campaign with the audacious goal of raising $78 million to purchase and support the long-term protection of this property. After an unprecedented local and international fundraising effort, our alliance has now achieved that goal. The acquisition brings years of threats in the region to a close and initiates a new chapter focused on long-term protection, community participation, and science-based management.
For Freyja, this purchase marks an important milestone in our history with the Cochamó region and its conservation. In 2017, Freyja’s president Anne Deane first visited the valley, and in 2023, we became the first international conservation organization to take direct action in Cochamó through a strategic acquisition of an at-risk property essential for ecological connectivity and valley access. That 309-hectare strategic purchase, carried out with Puelo Patagonia and Organización Valle Cochamó, secured the main route used by tens of thousands of visitors each year and prevented fragmentation in a critical stretch of Valdivian rainforest. It also proved catalytic: by eliminating an immediate vulnerability at the entrance to the valley and supporting Puelo Patagonia’s broader conservation plan for the region, the stage was set for the larger Conserva Puchegüín campaign to take shape.
Over the past 19 months, the campaign gathered remarkable momentum, drawing support from across the globe. It reached international audiences, even appearing on the cover of the New York Times, and inspired donors from over 20 countries and five continents. Throughout this period, consultations and planning meetings with local communities continued alongside more than 2,000 hours of wildlife monitoring. This balance was intentional from the outset – a conservation effort designed to protect an exceptional landscape while upholding the traditions, knowledge, and ways of life of the people who live there.
The now-purchased Puchegüín property anchors a vast conservation corridor spanning more than four million acres (1,630,000 hectares) across Chile and Argentina. Its rivers, wetlands, ancient forests, and rugged granite landscapes will continue to support endangered and endemic species such as the huemul, monito del monte, and Darwin’s frog. And as one of South America’s most powerful natural carbon sinks, the area will continue to play a significant role in climate resilience for Patagonia and the world at large.
With the property ownership transfer complete, Conserva Puchegüín will now begin establishing a governance and land-management model that reflects community priorities and rigorous conservation standards. Under the current plan, up to 20 percent of the property will be designated for sustainable uses – such as traditional agricultural activities and low-impact tourism – while the remaining majority will be placed under strict protection.
Alongside the purchase, the alliance also announces the creation of Fundación Conserva Puchegüín, a Chilean nonprofit which is now the owner of the land and responsible for ensuring its long-term protection. As one of Fundación Conserva Puchegüín’s member organizations alongside Puelo Patagonia and The Nature Conservancy Chile, Freyja will continue to help guide the long-term stewardship of the region.
For Freyja, Puchegüín represents what is possible when local leadership, global collaboration, and shared commitment to our world’s wild places meet in the right place at the right time. Our president Anne Deane reflected, “We first visited Cochamó in 2017 and immediately knew we wanted to support its long-term protection. Puelo Patagonia has defended the valley for decades, and when the opportunity arose to safeguard this region permanently, we knew it was a pivotal moment. The purchase of Puchegüín is a major conservation milestone, and we’re honored to be part of its long-term stewardship.”
Conserva Puchegüín has already become one of the most impactful conservation efforts in recent years – a project rooted in Chile, driven locally, and supported by thousands of people around the world. And now, the next stage of work begins: transforming this extraordinary landscape from a property into a protected area that will endure for generations.
