Species Conservation in Chile

Overview

This project leveraged geospatial and data collection technologies to aid in conservation efforts in a biological reserve in southern Chile.

Background

Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve is a for-profit natural reserve in southern Chile. Previously its area was used for the logging industry, but today it is becoming a hub for eco-tourism. The reserve has an incredible amount of biodiversity, from the tiny monito del monte to the huemul, a national symbol of Chile. In the reserve's shift from industry to eco-tourism, tracking the migration patterns and behaviors of various animals in the park has been a key priority for its managers.

Project

Fundacion Huilo Huilo, an NGO dedicated to biodiversity conservation in the reserve, partnered with students and faculty from Duke University and Pontifica Universidad de Chile (PUC) to identify the animals found across the park using trap cameras. I provided technical consulting expertise for the project including data collection, management and analysis, as well as English/Spanish trainings in QGIS, R, and other software. I also evaluated student performance and curated technical and cross-cultural workshops.This project provided Fundacion Huilo Huilo with detailed insights into where they could best locate trap cameras to identify and track wildlife in the reserve, and the project was renewed for the following year.

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