The third edition of the Green Latin America Awards, organized by the Sambito company of Ecuador and sponsored by CAF Latin America Development Bank, distinguished Parque Tantauco as one of the best initiatives at a general level in the Region.

This year, 1,407 projects from 25 cities and 513 cities were in contest for one of the 10 open categories. Tantauco entered in the Forests and Flora category, which acknowledges projects that promote the conscious and rational use of tree-based habitats, work on conservation or restoration of said habitats, and promote access to knowledge and awareness of conservancy of forests and fauna in general.

“As a Park we feel happy and honored with the distinction, and we hope to be among the finalists down the road. Being recognized in the region drives us to push forward in our conservancy goals, so we can protect a territory that is of great importance for future generations” states Alan Bannister, Chiloé manager of Parque Tantauco.

Only two Chilean projects were distinguished in the Forests and Flora category, among over 30 entries. The decision was made by a technical committee composed of over 100 representatives of universities from around the continent.

This year, applicants to the awards increased in 30% compared to last year. Colombia was the country with most applicants (over 250), followed by Ecuador (211) and Chile (172).

Most of the initiatives applied within the Human Development category (23%), followed by Waste Management (17%), Urban Action (14%), Water (12%), Biodiversity (8%), Forests (8%), Power (7%), Emissions (5 %), Finance (4%), and Ocean (2 %). Analyzing by operative sector, 46% of the applicants came from the private sector.