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Original article: Puerto Montt: Mesa de trabajo impulsa acciones para proteger Santuario de la Naturaleza Bosque Fósil Punta Pelluco

The Puerto Montt campus of the Austral University of Chile (UACh) convened a new session of the public-private working group for the Punta Pelluco Nature Sanctuary, aimed at advancing concrete protection and conservation measures for this site of significant scientific, historical, and cultural value.

The meeting included representatives from the Municipality of Puerto Montt, the National Monuments Council, the Port Captaincy, the Juan Pablo II Municipal Museum, the San Pedro Fishermen’s Union, the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service, the Pelluco Neighborhood Council, Ricardo Álvarez, the director of the Archaeology School at UACh’s Puerto Montt campus, faculty members, community organizations, and other local stakeholders.

This gathering was convened in response to recommendations made by the National Monuments Council after it found damage to the paleontological heritage in the area, primarily linked to unregulated motor vehicle traffic.

During the session, the participating institutions reviewed key technical findings and outlined short-term, medium-term, and long-term action lines to protect the sanctuary.

Located in the Punta Pelluco area, this Nature Sanctuary protects a collection of fossilized larch tree stumps and a paleosite that contains traces of prehistoric fauna over 50,000 years old.

Notable records identified include tracks attributed to gomphotheres, extinct mammals related to today’s elephants, among other species that inhabited the area during the Pleistocene, making it a place of great interest for scientific research, education, and natural heritage conservation.

Claudio Castro Silva, regional manager of Protected Marine Areas at the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service, highlighted the main pressures affecting the sector and the urgent need to strengthen protective measures.

«The primary issue identified is unregulated vehicle traffic in sensitive areas, which has led to progressive deterioration of fossil footprints and other paleontological records of high scientific value. This reinforces the need to implement stricter protection actions and to advance coordinated efforts among institutions responsible in this area,» stated Claudio Castro.

Among the priority actions discussed is the identification of access routes used by artisanal fishermen, alongside implementing measures to limit vehicle access to critical areas of the sanctuary to prevent further damage to the existing heritage.

In this regard, Ernes Hilmer, an architect at the Projects Department of the Municipality of Puerto Montt, expressed the progress made during the session.

«We advanced in the preliminary identification of routes and accesses used in the area, which is key information for guiding on-ground management measures. From this information, it will be possible to implement solutions that restrict vehicle access to sensitive points and reduce the impact on fossil footprints and larch stumps,» explained Hilmer.

Commitment to the Territory

From the Puerto Montt campus of UACh, the Director of Community Engagement, Marcos González, emphasized the importance of these collaborative working sessions.

«These spaces allow us to address the complex issues of the territory from a unified perspective, where different knowledge and responsibilities converge. From the university, the challenge is to contribute not only from a technical standpoint but also through the education of professionals and the understanding of the territory as an ecosystem that requires sustained care over time,» he indicated.

In the coming months, efforts will continue to implement coordinated actions based on the recommendations of the National Monuments Council and further strengthen the conservation of this paleontological and natural heritage to ensure its protection for future generations.

We will continue to provide updates.

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