摘要：

Natural reserves or protected areas are a keystone of global strategies for biological conservation. With over 18% of its land under protection, Chile faces challenges similar to those in other developing countries. In this paper we describe the history and status of protected areas in Chile, and identify the challenges that the country confronts for improving the conservation and social efficacy of protected areas. Following the modern "pristine" concept of protected areas, Chile created its first protected area in 1907 and the first national park in 1925. Historically, several national and local agencies were in charge of the creation and management of protected areas. In 1984, the national public system of protected areas was created to organize the scattered protected areas around a unified system that seeks to conserve Chilean natural resources. The system has several problems that jeopardize its capability to conserve Chilean biodiversity: insufficient ecosystem representation, inadequate coverage of biodiversity hot-spots, low budgets, and boundary issues. Private protected areas have recently been considered as complementary units to SNASPE. But there are questions about long-term commitment and restriction to development in such areas. The growth of ecotourism may be boosting SNASPE and private reserve initiatives, but it may also threaten the conservation of pristine environments. We propose that protected areas in Chile be part of a comprehensive conservation policy that considers the entire range of natural resources. This policy should also address new ways to conserve biodiversity outside protected area boundaries, bringing both private and public initiatives together.

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