Futangue Park:
Futangue Park’s mission is to protect the native forest, promote reforestation, foster environmental education, and support the local community in the Lake Ranco basin.
Conservation Project
The park offers the community access to its trails and facilities, providing resources for both public and private institutions focused on conservation, environmental education, academic research, and various social initiatives. We are proud members of Así Conserva Chile (“This is how Chile preserves”), an association dedicated to conservation efforts in private and indigenous lands. Futangue Hotel & Spa was created with the vision of ensuring the long-term sustainability of our conservation project while preserving its social and environmental values. By staying at the hotel, our guests contribute directly to safeguarding this natural legacy and supporting its preservation for future generations, as we reinvest 100% of our profits into the park.
Environmental Education
We collaborate with the Universidad Austral de Chile to facilitate student and professor participation in academic activities within the reserve. We also promote an environmental education program, welcoming local schools to the park free of charge. Through this initiative, more than 400 students visit the park annually.
Additionally, we sponsor research on endangered species and engage in educational activities focused on the care of these animals, particularly Darwin’s frogs. We organize ecological walks with children and young people from the surrounding community to clean up the Riñinahue beach, encouraging environmental stewardship from an early age.
Reforestation
At Futangue Park, we are deeply committed to the reforestation of native species. We cultivate endemic flora to restore areas of the park that were once cleared for pasture. To date, we have reforested more than 60 hectares with species such as larch, Guaitecas cypress, mountain cypress, araucaria, oak, laurel, and tepa. Additionally, all landscaping and gardening at the hotel are carried out using native shrubs and flowers, enhancing the natural heritage of the Valdivian Rainforest.
Wildlife Reinsertion
Futangue Park actively participates in the reinsertion of native wildlife in collaboration with SAG (Chile’s Agriculture and Livestock Service). We help return rescued and rehabilitated wild animals to their natural habitats. Over the years, many pumas, foxes, pudúes (small deer), and monitos del monte (small marsupials) have been successfully reintroduced into the park’s forests. In partnership with SAG, we have installed both day and night monitoring cameras to study the behavior of these species in their new environment.
What Is the Natural Heritage We Protect?
Flora
The park contains approximately 70% of the temperate forest flora of South America, much of it endemic and vulnerable. Most of the park’s flora is part of the Selva Valdiviana (Valdivian Rainforest), one of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots. This temperate rainforest thrives in exceptional climatic conditions and, due to its isolation over millions of years, has given rise to unique flora and fauna.
The evergreen forest stretches across the lower and middle elevations of the mountain range. At higher altitudes (1,100 to 1,300 meters), you can find stunted vegetation characteristic of the treeline, including species like Lenga, Ñirre, and Canelo Andino. The park’s flora is rich in species, with 254 native plants, of which 58 are endemic. However, 25 of these species face serious conservation challenges, such as the longleaf mañío and the Guaitecas cypress.
Fauna
The park is home to a wide variety of mammals, including the puma, pudú (one of the smallest deer species in the world), huiña (a type of wildcat), vizcacha (a rodent), and monito del monte (the world’s oldest marsupial). The pudú’s vulnerable conservation status is due to habitat loss from wildfires, logging, and threats from dogs and poaching. Preserving ecosystems like Futangue Park is essential to protect the native fauna of southern Chile.
The park also supports a diverse population of amphibians, including Darwin’s frog, which is known for its unique reproductive behavior. In this species, the female lays eggs, and after 20 days, the male swallows them, keeping them in a compartment inside his mouth for six weeks. Once the tadpoles have developed, the male opens his mouth and releases the young into the world.
Fungi
Fungi enthusiasts will find plenty to explore in Futangue Park during the spring and autumn months, as the area is home to a rich diversity of fungi species in extraordinary shapes and colors. In some cases, fungi grow so prolifically that they completely cover the bark of giant trees.
Among the edible mushrooms found here are change, loyo, gargal, and dihueñe. Other common fungi include wood ear, turkey tail, and forest gummy mushrooms, all of which play a crucial role as decomposers. These fungi break down the remains of plants, animals, and other organisms, recycling them into vital nutrients that are then available to other species in the ecosystem. This decomposition process is essential for maintaining the nutrient cycle and promoting soil health.
