Tourism Alliance Between Science Center and Conaf add value to Search? Protected wilderness areas Aysén

"It is interesting to add other ways of seeing wildlife areas, incorporating the management and professional management of protected areas in the region." It's the feeling with which he is a ranger from the national reserve Lago Cochrane (Tamango), Hernan Velasquez after participating in the first stage of a training course taught in the context of the work of the Centre for Scientific Tourism (CTCP), Centre for Ecosystem Research in Patagonia (CIEP), which is supported by CORFO's Innova program. The initiative is part of the association that the institution has with the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) to strengthen the scientific development of tourism in the region, in their various fields.

There were three intense days that concluded on Friday, where about 15 officials Conaf much of Aysen acquainted through meetings with researchers from the CIEP and local operators, and field work with the new global and national trends tourism, its link with science and business models possible in the National System? State Protected Wildlife areas (SNASPE). also participated in explanatory talks on geomorphology, geology, glaciology and freshwater ecology in Patagonia among other specialties.

"Power Rangers approach known as methodologies, have direct contact with scientists, professionals working in the region in studies of various kinds such as geology, archeology, or enough water resources to help us better manage and make decisions, and thus contribute to conservation of the resource in the region and the country, "says Velasquez.

Generating knowledge is essential to the enhancement of wildlife areas. Thus understood by the National Park rangers Queulat ("Distant Lands" in Mapudungun), Patricio Araos, for whom "in the subject or the glaciological limnological, which in region there is enough but little is known, has been very good to collect all that information, chewing and trying to translate the visitor, which is also very difficult. "

The CTCP believe that protected areas are a plus for regional tourism. However, says the center's director, Fabien Bourlon, still remains to be done to increase the enhancement of these, mainly due to the small number of guards relation to the territory of the regional SNASPE to do the work of animation or interpretation requires specialized knowledge about the issues that may call attention to the visitor, and a strategy in this regard. It is in this context that "we believe Conaf scientific tourism goes through them, to reach more remote areas or isolated from the Region of Aysen, where up people, "the rangers also serve as a link to the networks that they hold in the vast territory aysenino .

Benjamin Molina, a spokesman for all regional rangers, reflects: "Colleagues have seen them very excited, trying to acquire as much knowledge and each adapted to the reality that they have in their various wilderness areas, then this is fundamental, key ".

The training will conclude in late September with proposals of "products" and business models in the protected areas by the participants, who work in the national reserves Tamango, Jeinimeni, Coyhaique and Simpson River National Parks Laguna San Rafael and Queulat, among other territories.