COIPOLAFQUEN BIOREGION
In Partnership with the Mapuche Communities
The Mapuche | People of the Land
The Mapuche are one of the original peoples of southern South America, whose ancestral territories span present-day Chile and Argentina.
Their name means “people of the land.”
For centuries, they have defended their territories, rivers, forests, and spiritual relationship with Ñuke Mapu,v Mother Earth, against colonization, state violence, and extractive industries.
Their struggle is not symbolic.
It is about land.
It is about water.
It is about the right to exist in balance with the natural world.
Territory Is Identity.
We stand with Mapuche communities in the Coipolafquen Bioregion to support reforestation of native ecosystems and the defense of nature’s rights within their ancestral lands.
This is not environmentalism.
It is territorial sovereignty.
The Reality
Large areas of ancestral Mapuche territory have been converted into monoculture forestry plantations and extractive projects.
Native forests have been replaced.
Water systems have been altered.
Sacred relationships with the land have been disrupted.
Yet the Mapuche continue to organize, replant, and defend their territories through community leadership and spiritual resilience.
The restoration of native biodiversity is inseparable from cultural survival.
What We Are Building Together
Native Forest Reforestation
• Restoration of indigenous plant species
• Protection of watershed ecosystems
• Revitalization of traditional ecological knowledge
Rights of Nature Advocacy
• Community-based legal and cultural advocacy
• Strengthening recognition of territorial rights
• Elevating Indigenous environmental leadership
Cultural Continuity & Land-Based Education
• Intergenerational knowledge transmission
• Youth engagement in ecological restoration
• Community gatherings rooted in ancestral worldview
Why This Matters Globally
Industrial forestry and extractive models are replicated across the world.
The Mapuche response, land defense rooted in spiritual relationship, offers a different model of coexistence.
Healthy forests regulate climate.
Healthy watersheds sustain life.
Healthy cultures protect ecosystems.
Defending Indigenous land rights is one of the most effective strategies for biodiversity protection globally.
Bioregional Impact Goals
Restore native forest ecosystems in ancestral territory
Strengthen Mapuche-led environmental governance
Protect watershed systems
Ensure cultural and ecological continuity
How You Can Support
Sponsor native tree reforestation efforts
Support community-led territorial initiatives
Contribute to rights-of-nature advocacy
Invest in long-term Indigenous ecological restoration
