HUILO  HUILO:  A  SUSTAINABLE  TOURIST  DESTINATION

Prepared  by:  Alexandra  Petermann  –  Director  of  Huilo  Huilo

Erik  Samsing  –  Consultant  to  the  Board  of  Huilo  Huilo

Verónica  Toledo  –  Biologist  from  the  Huilo  Huilo  FoundaEon

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Huilo Huilo is found in the heart of the Patagonian Forest in the Los Rios Region, where 250,000 acres of Temperate Rainforest play host to a Reserve that boasts astounding biological diversity, including the greatest amount of fern species in continental Chile, not to mention endangered species, glacier fed lakes, countless waterways and awe-inspiring mountains and volcanoes.

Here at Huilo Huilo, we believe in enchanting our guests with the magic of the Patagonian Forest, as well as protecting and preserving the Temperate Rainforest, integrating neighboring communities in order to improve the quality of life of present and future generations.

Huilo Huilo is fully equipped with a wide variety of facilities to help guests experience the wonders of the Patagonian Forest, such as Hotels, a Lodge, Guest Houses, Cabins, Camping Sites, Eco-Camping Sites, a SPA, a Craft Brewery, the Snow Adventure Center, tours through the Hua Hum pass, restaurants, bars and cafes.

In addition, we also offer a full program including over 40 different Expeditions, such as: Trekking, Canopy, Horseback Riding, Mountain Biking, Custom Vehicle Expeditions, Kayaking, Sailing, Mountain Climbing, Snow Adventures, Fly Fishing and Hot Springs, all run by local service providers, members of the local community that have been specially trained to perform these tasks.

Huilo Huilo is a pioneer in Chile when it comes to the development of Sustainable Tourism. Since the beginning we have attempted to preserve nature, integrate local host communities and develop tourist activities that enable long term feasibility.

I.-Introduction:

Tourism is an economic phenomenon with a territorial and sociocultural foundation. These three elements at the heart of tourism are not static, quite the contrary, they are dynamic forces and the impact generated by tourism can upset relative balances and thus lessen a destination’s appeal. Therefore, sustainability of tourist destinations is a key element for prolonging their success over time.

The issue surrounding the impact of tourist activity on the economic, social and environmental structures of a tourist destination shall be addressed from an environmental management perspective. In order to do so, we propose adapting the sustainable tourism methodologies recently created by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and other environmental organizations to local contexts1.

Rising to the challenges of sustainability at any of its levels (be it social, cultural, economic or environmental) means that tourist locations have to establish tolerable limits, for example, regulating the use of natural public areas or monitoring demand growth rates to ensure fair competition among different destinations.

It is important to point out that all economic activities have to consider environmental and social variables to remain sustainable over time. In fact, economic activity all over the world is taking these variables into account as a necessity for enduring in the future. Tourism is one of the few economic endeavors that can integrate these factors cohesively if developed correctly.

1The  terms  sustainable  and  maintainable  are  usually  considered  synonyms  and  are  used  indis3nctly  

throughout  this  document.

II Territorial Definition: Huilo Huilo in the Patagonian Forest

“Patagonia takes up the entire southernmost portion of the American continent, a vast land spanning over 560,000 square miles. This triangle-shaped region spreads from the South of the Colorado river in Argentina and Valdivia in Chile, all the way down to Tierra del Fuego.

Patagonia is a land of contrasts, with plateaus and terraces to the East, where the dominant form of vegetation is the herbaceous and shrub steppe, and the Andes to the West, with glacier fed lakes, waterways and lush forests” (Díaz N. and Smith-Fleuck JA, “El HuemulPatagónico” 2000).

Huilo Huilo is part of this unique and little known ecosystem, specifically in the forest territory of Patagonia, in the southern Andes. The region is brimming with areas that interest both science and conservationists the world over.

The Valdivian Eco-region, or the so-called Valdivian Forest is one of said areas. It is a narrow strip of forest that spreads south for approximately 1,000 miles from 35° to 47° southern latitude. It is one of the most invaluable and endangered eco-regions on the planet, also considered a biodiversity “hotspot” (Myers et al., 2000).

Scientific institutions and conservationist groups have managed to get the area’s temperate forests catalogued as virgin forests given that they are one of the few large ecologically intact forests left on Earth (Bryan et al., 1997).

This zone is also a biogeographic island, developing apart from the rest of the wooded ecosystems since the Tertiary Age, resulting in an extraordinary level of endemism, as well as ancient communities of plant and animal species, many of which date back to the times of the supercontinent known as Gondwana.

This region has proven to be an important shelter for the rainforest species during the last ice ages.

Over thousands of years, the natural isolation of the Valdivian Eco-region spawned one-of-a-kind plant and animal species, all sharing singular traits, living proof that this zone is home to the most extraordinary and representative biodiversity on the planet (Dinerstein et al., 1995, 2001).

Finally, we must not forget that this part of the world has been part of the Biosphere Reserve created by UNESCO since 2007, over 5,000,000 acres of temperate rainforest in the southern Andes to be precise.

All of these features come together to set this area apart from the Patagonian steppe, the better known part of Patagonia. The Patagonian Forest holds a world waiting to be discovered and unique attributes recognized all over the planet.

Huilo Huilo is found in the heart of the Patagonian Forest in the Los Rios Region, where 250,000 acres of Temperate Rainforest play host to a Reserve that boasts astounding biological diversity, including glacier fed lakes and countless waterways, the greatest amount of fern species in continental Chile, as well as endangered species.

III.-Sustainability: a Key Factor in the Development of a Tourist Destination.

What is a sustainable tourist destination?

The UNWTO recently created a new definition for sustainable tourism (UNWTO, 2008), establishing that destinations had to comply with the following stipulations:

1. Optimal use of environmental resources that represent a fundamental element of tourism development, maintaining essential ecologic processes and helping to conserve natural resources and biological diversity.

2. Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.

3. Ensure sustainable economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable job opportunities and obtaining income and social services for host communities, thus contributing to poverty alleviation.

Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary.

Taking all of the above into account, as a tourist destination, Huilo Huilo promotes a sustainable future based on three pillars:

1. Preserving Nature: Part of our mission is preserving our endemic flora and fauna through internationally acclaimed research and projects, such as the Huemul Conservation Center.

2. Integrating Local Communities: We actively incorporate neighboring communities in the development of our destination, creating a significant amount of jobs on-site and training people in a number of different disciplines, including programs at local schools, all aimed at improving their quality of life and shedding a different light on the people that live in the area, as well as perpetuating the culture of the indigenous cultures.

3. Tourism Operations. We encourage the development of facilities and activities that will allow Huilo Huilo to stand the test of time, thanks to the development of new economic operations in the region that allow our visitors to enjoy the magic this part of the world has to offer.

IV.-Developing the Key Variables that Drive Sustainability at Huilo Huilo.

Nature preservation and optimal use of environmental resources.

The mission of the Huilo Huilo Foundation is to “protect and preserve the Temperate Rainforest, including neighboring communities in order to improve the quality of life of present and future generations”.

Keeping this objective in mind, the foundation develops scientific, educational and social programs aimed at changing pre-conceived notions, promoting small businesses and attaining sustainable development of the area.

Strategic Objectives

• Protect the Temperate Rainforest, aquatic systems and other ecosystems present in the region.

• Rehabilitate damaged ecosystems though environmentally friendly landscaping and botanical restoration focused on conservation.

• Develop and support scientific research projects aimed at attaining a better understanding of biological processes that aid conservation.

• Highlight local cultural values.

• Develop a local economy based on conservation and sustainability by opening new economic sectors.

• Contribute towards raising environmental awareness in our society.

Conservation projects developed so far:

Wilderness Area:

1. Protection and reintroduction of the Southern Huemul2.

2. Puma distribution range program.

3. Reintroduction of guanacos

Scientific Area:

1. Darwin’s Frog conservation project.

2. Identification of Huilo Huilo’s entomological wildlife.

3. Research project that studies the effect of climate change on the Mocho Choshuenco glacier biomass.

4. Creation of a native flora herbarium, gathering and preserving seeds.

5. Identification of the Pirehueico lake phytoplanktonic community.

6. Territorial zoning and organization project.

Integration of host communities and respect for their sociocultural authenticity

Along the international road leading to the Hua Hum and San Martín de los Andes pass, near the access point into the Huilo Huilo Reserve, lie Neltume and Puerto Fuy, two picturesque, cozy little towns with a rich tradition linked to the forest.

In 1943, a large timber industry set up their operations in Neltume, right in the middle of this small valley in the Patagonian Andes, a land covered in virgin forests and bordered by the Fuy River, the origin of the Huilo Huilo Falls.

A short drive away from Neltume, on the banks of Pirehueico Lake, we find Puerto Fuy, a small village where visitors can take the ferry to the border crossing towards San Martín de los Andes.

2The  Huemul  Conserva3on  Project  has  been  run  by  the  Huilo  Huilo  Founda3on  in  conjunc3on  with  the  Chilean  Government  for  over  five  years,  proving  to  be  a  formidable  public  /  private  partnership.  The  project  has  been  a  success  thanks  to  the  management  and  breeding  of  the  species  in  a  controlled  environment,  thus  crea3ng  a  valuable  preserva3on  tool  for  this  emblema3c  endangered  deer.  Interna3onal  recogni3on  for  the  project  became  apparent  when  in  August  2010,  the  Huilo  Huilo  Reserve  hosted  the  Seventh  Interna3onal  Deer  Biology  Congress,  gathering  the  most  renowned  experts  of  the  deer  field  for  the  first  3me  in  La3n  America.  The  congress  and  the  year  of  Chile’s  Bicentennial  were  the  perfect  backdrop  to  launch  the  Na3onal  Huemul  Plan,  a  joint  effort  from  SAG  (Agriculture  and  Livestock  Service),  CONAF  (Na3onal  Forestry  Corpora3on),  CONAMA  (Na3onal  Commission  for  the  Environment)  and  several  NGO’s  to  establish  baselines  for  the  protec3on  and  conserva3on  of  the  Huemul.  This  plan  will  become  a  key  part  in  the  crea3on  of  regula3ons  for  this  species,  crea3ng  new  preserva3on  strategies  and  raising  ci3zen  awareness  to  strengthen  Chile’s  environmental  educa3on.  In  addi3on,  as  a  result  of  this  congress,  the  Interna3onal  Union  for  Conserva3on  of  Nature  (IUCN)  officially  declared  August  5th  as  the  interna3onal  day  of  the  Huemul.  

The timber industry provided progress and a living for Neltume and Puerto Fuy for the past 50 years; unfortunately the activity gradually became unprofitable, forcing companies to close saw mills, leading to widespread unemployment in the area. Since 2004 to date, a plan has been in place to convert and integrate communities from timber to tourism. Now you can find supermarkets, bakeries, hostels, camping grounds and other services, not to mention handicrafts and works of art, especially made from wood.

Relevant data regarding tourism in Neltume.

There is clear evidence of growth thanks to an increased number of companies providing services in the area.

Type of service No. of Companies in 2005 No. of Companies in 2009

Food Services 5 13Lodging 1 (lodge or inn) 7

Transportation No data available 3Travel Agencies 0 No data available

Communication Sites

1 2

Bars 1 No data availableEntertainment 1 4

Without a doubt, one of the most positive effects of tourism has been the greater participation of the female gender in Neltume’s economic activities. It is important to remember that since the timber industry was the town’s main economic activity for such a long time, the creation of jobs was mainly aimed at the male population, with a scarce participation of women, relegating their role almost exclusively to domestic chores, and to a lesser extent work in shops.

According to the Tourism Workforce survey applied for the first time in Neltume and Puerto Fuy in 2010, we can see that women are highly represented in tourism operations, summing up 39% of the workforce used in the companies that participated in the study.

No. of Female Employees No. of Male Employees69 116

Another positive aspect of tourism is that it generates income and wealth in the areas where it takes place. This concept was made clear in Neltume and Puerto Fuy through the investment statements made by the companies that participated in the 2010 Work Force survey. 72% of service providers stated that they had made investments in their companies over the last few years, 40% of them as recently as last year.

All of this data was obtained from the Workforce Survey performed for the first time in Neltume and Puerto Fuy in 2010 by the Huilo Huilo Foundation and the Municipality of Panguipulli.

Territorial Capital Assessment, comuna of Panguipulli, March, 2006.

The spirit behind the Huilo Huilo Foundation is to work with local communities and come up with projects and ideas for the future together, supporting initiatives that focus on sustainable development.

Said support comes in the form of projects that have given groups of the community that did not participate in the local economy before a chance to better themselves, as well as driving formal education through support to local schools and reinforcing the community’s identity with projects such as:

Promotion of local economic development:

• Apiculture (bee keeping) entrepreneurship workshop.

• Magical beings workshop.

• Embroidery workshop.

Identity Reinforcement:

• School workshops and art school.

• Baking and chocolate making workshops in schools.

• School workshop for wood carving and making rustic furniture

• Music and violin workshops

• Poetry workshop.

Other initiatives:

• Mapuche ethnicity route, a tour through their handicraft and ceremonial centers, allowing active interaction with the community.

• Cultural route, a display of the social and cultural life of the towns of Neltume and Puerto Fuy.

• Public and private work partnerships, such as the Friends of Panguipulli Committee.

• Development of small businesses that provide services in the tourism industry.

Tourism and Long Term Viability

Huilo Huilo is the development of a new tourist destination, presently receiving over 20,000 visitors a year, and its mission is to “enchant guests that visit Huilo Huilo, allowing them to experience the magic of the Patagonian Forest.

The magic is in the forest:

• Biodiversity.

• The geological diversity of nature.

• Untamed, wild and pristine landscapes.

• Local culture and how it relates to the forest

OUR VISION

“To be Chile’s premier ecological and adventure destination, offering the chance to get to know and experience the magic of the Patagonian forest, following a basic principle: THERE’S ROOM FOR EVERYONE IN NATURE”.

Facilities:

With all of the above in mind, since the year 2000, a series of facilities have been developed with private and local capital to offer visitors a one-of-a-kind, memorable experience:

• Hotels

• Lodge

• Guest Houses

• Cabins

• Camping Sites

• Eco-Camping Sites

• SPA

• Craft Brewery

• Snow Adventure Center

• Tour through the Hua Hum Pass

• Restaurants, Bar and Cafe

Excursions.

Throughout the year, Huilo Huilo runs a program with over 40 different expeditions, allowing guests to get to know and experience the magic of the Patagonian forest.

Activities such as: Trekking, Zip-line rides, Horseback riding, Mountain Biking, Custom vehicle expeditions, Kayaking, Sailing, Mountain climbing, Snow Adventures, Fly Fishing and Hot Springs.

The service for the expeditions is provided by local operators, people from the local community that have been specially trained for their tasks, and have been developed for regular city people, requiring no special training or specific skills.

Related Links:

www.Huilo Huilo.com

www.neltume.info

www.puerto-fuy.com

www.radionativafm.cl

V.-Results and Projections for the Application of this Model and the Development of Tourism at Huilo Huilo

Number of Visitors:

Bibliography

• Díaz, N., Smith-Flueck, J. (2000). The Patagonian Huemul: A Mysterious Deer on the Brink of Extintion. L.o.l.a., Monograph No. 3. Buenos Aires, Argentina, 168 p.

• Myers et al., 2000. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403, 853-858.

• Bryant, Dirk, Daniel Nielsen and Laura Tangley. 1997. “The Last Frontier Forests.” Issues in Science and Technology 14:85-7.

• Dinerstein E, Olson DM, Graham DJ, Webster A L , Primm SA, Bookbinder M P, Ledec G. (1995); A Conservation Assessment of the Terrestrial Ecoregions of Latin America and the Caribbean .Washington (DC): World Bank. WWF. Washington D. C., USA. 129 pp.

• Olson, D., E. Dinerstein, E. Wikramanayake, E. Burgess, G. Powell, E. Underwood, J. D’amico, I. Itoua, H. Strand, J. Morrison, C. Loukcs, T. Allnutt, T. Ricketts, Y. Kura. J. Lamoreux, W. Wettengel, P. Hedao y K. Kassem. 2001. Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: A new map of life on earth. Bioscience 51: 933-938.