Regional representative for the Andes and Southern Cone
Based in Chile. He belongs to the Mapuche People and lives in the Mapu Lahual territory (which means land of larches or Patagonian Cypress), in the Manquemapu community (which means land of condors) in the coastal area of Los Lagos Region, Chile.
Javier has a long history of work in the protection and sustainable use of the Mapu Lahual territory through community tourism projects and by using the identity of his community as a way to diversify its livelihoods. He promoted the creation of the Red de Parques Indígenas Mapu Lahual (Mapu Lahual Indigenous Parks Network) in 2005, which today is a recognized Indigenous conserved territory, composed of nine communities that constitute the Mapu Lahual territory.
For four years, Javier has been president of the Mapu Lahual Association, a Member organization of the ICCA Consortium. He has also been part of the creation of the Association of Private and Indigenous Peoples Conservation Initiatives called “Así Conserva Chile” (This is how we safeguard Chile), and he has been its Vice-President for two consecutive terms. In 2014, he achieved international recognition for his community through the Equator Initiative and by participating in that year’s UN Climate Summit and the first World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in New York. Since 2022 he is part of the Council of the Fondo Naturaleza initiative in Chile.
