Conserving for the future
Ex situ conservation
campusnaturaleza@udec.cl
Concepción, Chile
Campus Naturaleza UdeC
At UdeC, we are safeguarding Chile’s threatened species and ecosystems outside their natural habitats
Ex situ conservation – conserving species away from their natural habitat - complements protection in the wild . By maintaining plant material and genetic diversity in living collections and seed banks, we secure a safety net for conservation, research, education and future restoration.
Campus Naturaleza is laying the foundations of the University of Concepción’s Botanical Garden, with a fous on Chile’s threatened species and ecosystems.
Our first living collection
Established in 2024, our first collection, features three threatened species of the genus Nothofagus:
- ruil, Nothofagus alessandrii;
- hualo, Nothofagus glauca;
- roble de Santiago, Nothofagus macrocarpa.
Seeds were collected from various wild populations across Chile to capture their genetic diversity. Every plant is individually recorded --detailing its provenance and location-, enabling us to monitor its survival, growth and health over the years.
How we work
- Identify seed trees in natural habitats.
- Collect seeds from wild populations.
- Record the provenance of every specimen.
- Design genetically representative collections.
- Monitor survival, growth, phenology and health.
- Develop partnerships with botanical gardens and conservation networks, in Chile and internationally.
- Produce material for outreach, research and future conservation and restoration work.
Towards a UdeC Botanical Garden
Campus Naturaleza has set aside 18 hectares to develop living collections of threatened species – a space where scientific conservation, education, research and public engagement with Chile’s plant heritage come together.
The planting of the first species on this surface is a milestone, as it represents various efforts that will contribute in the future to the survival of these and other endemic tree species threatened in Chile.
Ex situ conservation of nothofagus
Plantation design