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Strong roots, green future

We promote environmental education, community participation, and governance to prevent illegal logging and protect biodiversity, integrating municipal reserves into an ecological corridor.

Municipality

AR
Tolhuin, Tierra del Fuego,

Category / Sub-Category / Topic

Environment, Environmental management

Type of investment needed

Subsidy

Associated SDGs

The challenge

In recent years, illegal logging has affected nearly 30% of the native forest in Altos de la Montaña, the main green lung of the neighboring district and key to environmental conservation.

The project

The initiative seeks to transform the relationship between the community of Tolhuin and its natural environment, highlighting the value of the Altos de la Montaña Reserve. Through environmental education, the refurbishment of spaces, and the strengthening of a sense of community belonging, the aim is to consolidate a municipal ecological corridor that acts as a natural barrier against urban expansion and illegal logging.

The desired systemic change is to establish participatory environmental management in Tolhuin, where the community, institutions, and the productive sector work together to actively conserve the native forest. The aim is to move from traditional forest use practices to a sustainable model, strengthening local governance and citizen co-responsibility.

The objectives of this project are to develop an environmental education program, recondition the reserve, and create this municipal biological corridor. Its innovative nature lies in a participatory and comprehensive approach that combines education and social appropriation of the territory, unlike strategies that focus solely on enforcement. The creation of the ecological corridor is a tool for protection and collective learning that promotes a new model of local governance, integrating forest conservation with sustainable development and cultural identity.


Know more...

Tolhuin, in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, with 6,039 inhabitants (INDEC, 2022 Census), is surrounded by Andean-Patagonian forests and is a forestry-industrial hub in transition towards a more sustainable model. This process seeks to balance industrial activity with the conservation of its natural reserves and community participation.

The central problem is persistent illegal logging in the Altos de la Montaña reserve, which is attributed to unregulated traditional practices and a lack of community ownership of the territory. This leads to biodiversity loss, deforestation, soil erosion, and alterations in the water cycle, exacerbating the effects of climate change and social conflicts over access to natural resources.

The causes of illegal logging are multifactorial: historical roots in forestry and industrial activity, domestic use of wood for heating, and a perception of free access to the resource. Added to this is a low sense of belonging and limited community ownership, together with the lack of a management plan and poor enforcement, signage, and ineffective reporting, which weakens territorial protection.

Collaborative work was essential during the design of this initiative. Meetings were held with neighbors and local stakeholders, which allowed us to identify problems and opportunities, highlighting the lack of communication with the municipality and ignorance of regulations, but also a strong interest in conservation. This network for change, together with a participatory and co-creation methodology, allowed us to integrate technical and local knowledge, strengthening collective commitment and culminating in pilot awareness-raising activities and interpretive tours that validated the approach.

  • Environmental Education Program: Ten educational field trips with elementary and secondary schools, five mate-bingo days and cultural events with the community, and annual training for 15 Environmental Guards (secondary and higher education students) who promote environmental protection and obtain their certification.
  • Refurbishment of the Reserve: Signage and demarcation of the trail, installation of 10 interpretive signs, 2 viewpoints and rest areas, perimeter barriers (2,700 meters), implementation of a QR form for suggestions, and creation of a green point and 3 sectors with access for people with reduced mobility.
  • Municipal Biological Corridor: Establishment of a legal framework by Municipal Ordinance to preserve the space (74.05 hectares) and creation of an interpretive trail connecting all municipal reserves, highlighting the predominance of species by area.

Direct Results:

  • 10 educational field trips carried out with schools.
  • 50 people from the community participate in sustainable activity days.
  • 15 Environmental Guards (students) trained and certified.
  • 1 Instagram account for the Environmental Coordination with at least 1,000 followers and 20% interaction.
  • 1 marked and delimited trail in the reserve.
  • 10 informational signs and 2 lookout points installed.
  • Perimeter barriers (2,700 meters) installed.
  • 1 QR form implemented and 1 green point created.
  • 1 legal framework (Municipal Ordinance) approved.
  • 1 interpretive trail covering 74.05 hectares consolidated.

Expected Impact:

  • Consolidate participatory environmental management in Tolhuin, increasing community ownership of the native forest and reducing illegal logging.

Juan Rodríguez: Environmental Management Technician, Coordinator in the Environment Department of the Municipality of Tolhuin.

Luciana Basque: Environmental Management Technician, Director of Environment in the Municipality of Tolhuin.

Jennifer Equise: Environmental Management Technician, Technical Department of the Environment Directorate of the Municipality of Tolhuin.

Micaela Rodriguez: Environmental Management Technician, Technical Department of the Environment Directorate of the Municipality of Tolhuin.

ASO PRO VIDA NGO: Youth NGO focused on promoting Tolhuin, with an emphasis on environmental preservation and care.

Marlene Gallardo: Neighborhood leader.

Civil Defense: Operational actor with the capacity to intervene and coordinate in emergencies.


Investment

(*): In kind/pro bonus

(**): Financing

Goods and inputs
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Cartelería (*) (**)

u$s 4210.53

u$s 0.00

u$s 4210.53

Pintura asfáltica 18 litros (*) (**)

u$s 103.37

u$s 0.00

u$s 103.37

Diluyente, 18 litros (*) (**)

u$s 103.76

u$s 0.00

u$s 103.76

Pala pocera (*) (**)

u$s 168.63

u$s 0.00

u$s 168.63

Pala punta de corazón (*) (**)

u$s 126.32

u$s 0.00

u$s 126.32

Carretilla (*) (**)

u$s 202.11

u$s 0.00

u$s 202.11

Pincel profesional (*) (**)

u$s 71.96

u$s 0.00

u$s 71.96

Barreta tipo pocera (*) (**)

u$s 61.70

u$s 0.00

u$s 61.70

Cinta métrica de 8 metros (*) (**)

u$s 134.91

u$s 0.00

u$s 134.91

Lápiz tipo carpintero (*) (**)

u$s 2.03

u$s 0.00

u$s 2.03

Martillo tipo carpintero (*) (**)

u$s 98.25

u$s 0.00

u$s 98.25

Lima plana (*) (**)

u$s 18.25

u$s 0.00

u$s 18.25

Lima redonda de 3/8 (*) (**)

u$s 61.70

u$s 0.00

u$s 61.70

Cadena de 34 dientes (*) (**)

u$s 112.28

u$s 0.00

u$s 112.28

Kit sistema de riego por aspersión

u$s 280.70

u$s 280.70

u$s 0.00

Bandejas de 23x30x20cm (6x4 celdas)

u$s 302.46

u$s 302.46

u$s 0.00

Rollo de nylon con protección UV 200 micrones 200 m2

u$s 140.35

u$s 140.35

u$s 0.00

Binoculares (*) (**)

u$s 140.35

u$s 0.00

u$s 140.35

Guantes (*) (**)

u$s 240.35

u$s 0.00

u$s 240.35

Taladro Atonillador 20 v (*) (**)

u$s 365.61

u$s 0.00

u$s 365.61

Motosierra Stihl 260 (*) (**)

u$s 842.11

u$s 0.00

u$s 842.11

TOTAL AMOUNTS:

u$s 7787.73

u$s 723.51

u$s 7064.22

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