Ecological knowledge in the Wine Industry

Organization: The wine industry

What we found: The wine industry operates in the Mediterranean Ecosystem of Chile, surrounded by the last remnants of sclerophyll forest and matorral. These ecosystems are categorized as global conservation priorities; they are biodiversity hotspots, have high rates of endemism, and less than 1% of their area comes under any form of protection by the Chilean State.

What we did: Our aim was to identify climate change adaptation strategies that would benefit Chilean producers and the ecosystem that supports them, and raise awareness within the industry and the local community of the value of sclerophyll forest and matorral through workshops and the implementation of conservation areas and best practices across the vineyards of Chile. A total of 1,738 people have received training to date, and an agreement has been reached guaranteeing the protection of 25,000 hectares of native sclerophyll forest and matorral existing on land owned by the vineyards involved.

The future: The project has the support of the “Wines of Chile” trade association, which has amended its Sustainability Code as a result, and in the years to come, the program will be extended to other areas of agricultural production.

Visit the Wine, Climate Change and Biodiversity Program website