(Santiago, Chile-March 24, 2025)— The National Audubon Society today announced government recognition of its programs in Chile, broadening the organization’s wingspan in South America. While Audubon has worked extensively in Chile for decades, the recognition will enhance the organization’s capacity to safeguard coastal and migratory birds and their habitats throughout the Southern Cone.
“Birds do not recognize boundaries as they travel across the hemisphere,” said Dr. Elizabeth Gray, CEO of the National Audubon Society. “At Audubon, we follow the birds, extending our conservation efforts across borders and communities to protect the vital habitats they depend on. With our expansion into Chile, we are strengthening our commitment to hemispheric conservation—united in our mission to safeguard the ecosystems that sustain birds and their future.”
With more than 4,000 miles of coastline, Chile supports an estimated 500 bird species, many of which embark on an annual migration of more than 6,200 miles between North and South America. Audubon’s Chile program focuses on coastal birds and the protection of the wetlands along the coastline that serve as critical stopover sites for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds. These wetlands also provide habitat for commercially harvested species in addition to several vital ecosystem benefits — from mitigating the impacts of floods, storm surges, soil erosion and extreme climate events to sequestering carbon and providing recreation and tourism opportunities.
“This expansion will strengthen the work we’ve been doing for nearly two decades for the protection and conservation of coastal and migratory birds,” said Aurelio Ramos, Audubon managing director for Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada. “It will include a permanent, on-the-ground presence and feature an experienced Chilean team that will increase our ability to respond to challenges in the region.”
Audubon’s work in Chile has broadened since its earliest projects in the Chiloé Archipelago, expanding to partnerships with local and regional communities, including work in the Araucanía and Biobío regions; local and national NGOs; and government agencies, including the Chilean Ministry of Environment. Audubon also helped support the development and implementation of Chile’s National Bird Conservation Strategy (ENCA, for its initials in Spanish), launched and signed into law in 2022, which helped expand conservation efforts from targeting individual species to protecting habitat that multiple species need to survive.
“The approval to open our doors in Chile opens critical financing doors as well,” said Javiera Ferreyra, Chile country director for the National Audubon Society, “This decision will allow us to apply for national public and private funds, and to collaborate more closely with our strategic partners, providing more opportunities to make an even greater impact on bird conservation.”
Audubon Americas is the international arm of the National Audubon Society and a key part of an ambitious plan to protect the most important habitat for birds across the Americas. The program works across the hemisphere to build coastal resilience against climate change, protect habitat, engage working lands and collaborate with local communities, recognizing that the majority of bird species in the Americas migrate annually between Canada, the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean.
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Media Contact: Jason Howe, jason.howe@audubon.org
About Audubon
The National Audubon Society is a leading nonprofit conservation organization with 120 years of science-based, community-driven impact, dedicated to protecting birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Birds are powerful indicators of our planet’s health, acting as sentinels that warn us of environmental change and inspire action. Audubon works across the Western Hemisphere, driven by the understanding that what is good for birds is good for the planet. Through a collaborative, bipartisan approach across habitats, borders, and the political spectrum, Audubon drives meaningful and lasting conservation outcomes. With 800 staff and over 1.9 million supporters, Audubon is a dynamic and ever-growing force committed to ensuring a better planet for both birds and people for generations to come. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.
