Aysen development
Sheep and cattle farming have recently become less
important due to world markets though there are some interesting innovations
in farming. The majority of smaller farms (up to 400 hectares), still
run a few cattle and sheep, are generally owned and worked by a family
with little infrastructure and have a poor quality of land that generates
low income. The larger farms and estancias are turning to the organic
meat market and other alternatives such as sheep cheeses, ostrich (emu)
and other products with a higher income per head. Forestry projects
are also a staple part of the farming culture for both lumber and fire
wood.
Salmon farming has long been one of the bigger industries
further north in Chile. With huge ambitions to be the biggest producer
and exporter in the country the Salmon farmers are moving in on the fiords,
bays and islands of this region. With insufficient planning and lax environmental
regulations the last few years have seen hundreds of concessions given
to the salmon farming industry in areas which are within meters of protected
areas with little concern for either the biodiversity of the immediate
environment or the sensitivities of visitors. This is an on-going struggle
for the less powerful and younger tourist industry to maintain the regions
spectacular natural qualities.
There are some gold and silver mines in the region which provide isolated
pockets of employment.
Timber for both export and local use is important with
excellent hard woods being plentiful. Only recently have the regulations
for this type of exploitation been tightened up although there are still
vast areas of virgen beech forest which will dissapear in the next few
years. On the plus side there are now programs of reforestation using
native species.
The service industries and the development of infrastructure
such as roads, schools, ports, bridges and so on, is a major employer
and is the most direct form of support given to the region.
Tourism is becoming increasingly important. Fly fishing
has long been a primary source of tourism in the region although the
bennefits of this stayed with relatively few operators. There is now
an increasing demand for exclusive, special interest tourism and several
companies, hotels and associated services have appeared over the last
few years. Tourism is increasingly being seen as the future for the region
with the advantage that it can bennefit a much wider range of inhabitants
in the region from the providers of basic services to local guides and
land owners. Coyhaique and several other towns are making in-roads into
smartening up the image of the towns and improving infrastructure and
services. Although these attempts are not always the most appropriate
they are first steps in a long process and eventual cultural change which
will one day have local people value the natural resources of the area
for tourism and recreation as much as tourists do and put less emphasis
on the need to exploit the natural resources through extraction.
The biggest threat to the regions natural resources
at the moment is the potential building of an aluminum smelting plant
which, in addition to the contamination of water, land and air which
it generates, would require the generating power of three huge reservoirs
which are currently a series of smaller lakes, rivers and valleys with
huge extensions of forests and farm land, all of which would dissapear
to create the hydro-generating power for a Canadian owned producer of
aluminum. The project has created a lot of interest in Chile and has
temporarily been halted though not prohibited. It is expected that the
Noranda company will make another attempt in the near future. We are
actively opposed to the Alumysa plant and all it involves.
Education in the region is limited with no decent university
meaning that most youngsters in the region leave to get educated at 18+.
Prior to 18 there are several reasonable schools in Coyhaique but once
in the rural areas and smaller towns the schools are a poorly financed
state system which provides an education largely determined by the teachers.
There are many cases of excellent rural schools where the only teacher
is dedicated and students get well educated and others where the opposite
is true. It is common that from 8 years old many rural children will
attend schools where they board or live with families in the local town.
Whilst this is subsidised and welcomed by some families anxious to reduce
the financial burden of children it is a far fom ideal system and defenitley
not compensated by the quality of education the children receive. Government
has a long way to go in improving the education available in the region.
Finally, for us, the Aysen region is a paradise: surrounded
by beautiful mountains, a class 3 river runs less than 1 km from our
office in the town center, there is a small ski centre 40 minutes away,
world class fishing within a 10 minute drive and some reasonable rock
climbing on the crags right above town. Winter is cold with plenty of
snow and summers are plenty warm and dry enough to have an active outdoor
life. We believe that Coyhaique will become the central gathering point
for all sorts of sustainable adventure tourism. The region is already
a destination for serious, elite adventure travellers. The Aysen Glaciar
Trail, the rio Baker and the horse trekking routes will generate more
and more interest. It is our aim (and our responsability) to help guide
this development and assure that whilst services, infrastructure and
the range of opportunities improve, the natural enviroment and the local
customs and traditions are maintained. These are the first few years
of a boom in tourism for Aysen which will lead to a well resourced region
with a happening capital city where you can get a gondola ride to the
top of the nearest mountain, buy a real coffee and ride a bike back down
and walk the river banks in the evening. Theatre, music, art studios,
alternative energy, education and tourism will blend together in a unique
setting surrounded by incomparable opportunities for adventurous travellers. |
