FSC in Chile achieves Latin America's first FSC Ecosystem Services Verification for Cultural Values and the second worldwide

FSC Chile reached a regional milestone with the first FSC Ecosystem Services Verification for Cultural Values in Chile and Latin America, and the second worldwide. Granted for Hueima Waterfall, in Chile's Los Ríos Region, this achievement demonstrates that responsible forest management can also help protect cultural heritage, identity, and the ancestral knowledge of local communities. 

The verification is the result of nearly four years of collaboration between Forestal Arauco, the Hueima Indigenous Community, the Municipality of Lanco, and several local organizations, which established a shared governance model to safeguard a site of outstanding cultural significance. 

Beyond this achievement, the experience opens new opportunities to integrate cultural values into responsible forest management. By recognizing the connections between people and forests, FSC broadens the understanding of the benefits forests provide, incorporating not only their environmental and economic value but also their contribution to cultural heritage, identity, and community well-being. 

With this milestone, FSC Chile is advancing an innovative model that can inspire other territories across Latin America and beyond to incorporate cultural values into more holistic, inclusive, and sustainable forest management.