The Ocoa Valley belongs to the rural area of the commune of Hijuelas, region of Valparaíso, Chile. It is located between the Aconcagua River and the Cordillera de la Costa. Between 2021 and 2022, Agrícola Ocoa embarked on an ambitious project that would mark its trajectory and commitment to the environment on sustainable production management in its processes. This project arose in response to the growing need to address environmental interventions by promoting the sustainability of agriculture through nature-based solutions.

The Baselines project was structured into three key components, each designed to address different aspects of ecological restoration and the promotion of sustainable practices, which are broken down below:

• Biodiversity Management: Recognizing the importance of providing safe habitats for wildlife, a comprehensive nest house installation program was implemented. In addition to providing shelter for birds and bats, these structures also contribute to biodiversity conservation and the ecological balance of the area.
  

• Organic waste management: In order to responsibly manage organic waste and promote composting practices, a mobile composter with recycling bins was developed. This initiative allowed the efficient transformation of waste into high quality compost, which would then be used to enrich the soil and promote the growth of sustainable plants and crops.

• Monitoring: To evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the nest houses, a monitoring system was established to collect detailed data on the occupation of the nest houses by local wildlife. This continuous monitoring allowed Agrícola Ocoa to adjust its conservation strategies and maximize the success of its rodent control initiatives.

From 2018 to date, monitoring and biological study of Garuma Gull, Markham’s storm petrel and the ringed storm petrel is carried out. Compliance with the requirements of the Superintendence of Environment and SAG, determine high standards of monitoring for Ecorestaura, where each specialist can walk between 6 and 12 km daily, logistics, PPE and staff training, are the keys to this long term monitoring.

The garuma gull is an endemic species of the marine ecosystem of the Humboldt Current, distributed between Ecuador and southern Chile. One of the distinctive characteristics of the Gaviota garuma is that it nests in the interior of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest in the world. During the breeding season, numerous pairs establish breeding colonies in open terrain, between 15 and 115 km inland, from which they make daily round trips to their feeding habitats on the coastal edge. Due to the loss and contamination of their habitats, the Chilean Ministry of the Environment has classified the species as “Vulnerable”. (RCE)

Markham’s storm petrel and the ringed storm petrel that inhabit northern Chile are among the least known seabirds in the world, so their global conservation status is “Data Deficient”. For both species there is little information on their breeding sites and most of the known colonies were only recently discovered. In Chile, their conservation categories were only assessed in 2018, classifying Markham’s storm petrel as “Endangered” and the ringed storm petrel as “Data Deficient” (RCE).