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 Background  The people of Chiloé, above all those or rural areas, have always had a close relationship with the forests and its use. In recent years, however, the renewal of the forest resources is threatened due to many factors, among them short term management of forests, the clearing of land for agriculture, and a shortage of economic alternatives for rural communities. For example, Chiloé has one of the highest per capita firewood consumption rates in the world. Because of this, the current use of forests is not considered sustainable, which is threatening the natural environment and putting at risk its conservation. Simultaniously, the temperate rainforest ecosystem of Chiloé has been declared a conservation priority by international institutions for the fragility and the wealth of its fauna and flora.In this has BMCh emerged in 1998 as a response to the worryness of Chiloé's population to protect its environmental heritage, from a canadian initiative presented during the Earth's Summit of Rio in 1992. BMCh is currently the only model forest in South America. It consists of an innovative association between the local government and NGOs, peasants and indiginous communities, private organisations and Catholic Church, to promote the responsible use of natural resources. This commun effort between communities and institutions permits the analysis and comprehension of the environmental problems from a different point of view, enriching the range of possible solutions and facilitating actions. In this way, BMCh wants to demonstrate how local associations can unite all interested groups in the purpose of developing a shared vision of biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of forests, as well of the improvement of the quality of life of rural families and indigenous communities. After three years of operation, BMCh has supported more than 50 projects, being closely linked to all of the initiatives that are being developed in Chile in the field of sustainable development and conservation of biological heritage. |
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 Chacabuco 468, Castro, Chiloé Phone: (65) 63 8384 Fax: (65) 63 8385 e-mail: bmchiloe@telsur.cl |