Field Trip to the National Forest Corporation of Chile in the Andes Mountains

Grant:

Instructional Development Fund (IDF)

Academic Year:

2022 - 2023 (June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023)

Funding Requested:

$500.00

Project Dates:

Sun, 02/26/2023 - Sun, 02/26/2023

Applicant(s):

abeckh

Overview of the Project:

This project consists of a field trip to the National Forest Corporation of Chile (Chileâ€™s version of the National Park Service) within Chileâ€™s Ministry of Agriculture. The field trip will be to a field office in the Andes Mountains in the surroundings of Santiago, Chile to learn about Andean conservation policy and related work. The field trip is part of the Ford Schoolâ€™s 2023 International Economic Development Program (IEDP) policy study tour in Chile, which will take place over winter break. The excursion will permit students to learn about the Chilean Governmentâ€™s policy approach towards environmental conservation, with a focus on the Andes mountain range. Students in this group have a particular policy interest in environmental and conservation policy, and Chile has been globally recognized for their progress in advancing environmental conservation goals. The field trip will allow students to talk with the field officeâ€™s environmental policy and education team that focuses on the Andean region. Students will get an up-close-and-personal view of conversation policy from Chileâ€™s government agency responsible for implementing and promoting it, while also experiencing the areas of geological and biodiversity significance that so many are fighting to protect.

Final Report Fields

Project Objectives:

The Ford School's International Economic Development Program includes a course and experiential learning component. This year the group travelled to Chile to learn about Chilean policy and how it relates to international development. The course drew on the United Nationâ€™s 17 Sustainable Development Goals framework as a guiding lens of study. The Sustainable Development Goals are one of the most important international norms that direct international development efforts globally. In class, we examined the areas of success and significant progress that Chile has made towards accomplishing these goals, and we examined areas of challenge where Chile has experienced stagnation or limited progress. During our in-country study trip, students learned from both types of Chilean policy experiences. Land-based conservation is one area where Chile is experiencing both success and challenges. During the CRLT-supported field trip, students obtained an upclose-and-personal view of environmental policy from the perspective of a municipal Chilean government responsible for implementing and promoting it, while also experiencing the areas of geological and biodiversity significance that so many are fighting to protect.

Project Achievements:

Students met with Karina Cabello Escobar, the Environmental Policy Manager for the Municipality of San Jose de Maipo, as well as two of her team members, for a discussion about municipal policy as it pertains to environmental conservation. Students learned about the challenges around obtaining programmatic funding; managing conservation projects in the short and long term; managing relationships between municipal policy, national level policy, and international donor policy and programs; and an in-depth exploration of regional water policy and management. San Jose de Maipo supplies around 60-70% of the water for the capitol city of Santiago. As such, water conservation and water systems management is a major focus of the municipal government.

After this discussion, students travelled into the Andes Mountains to the source of the water that the municipality manages. This enabled students to experience the challenges around managing this remote resource as it travels through highly isolated and geographically rugged territory. Students were also able to experience the Andes Mountains - an area known for its geological and biodiversity significance that so many are fighting to protect.

Continuation:

Dissemination:

All IEDP activities are described, and photos shown via the Ford School communication avenues.

Advice to your Colleagues:

Coupling a discussion with municipal government actors with visiting the conservation site was a successful pairing.

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