Meri Fundación

Fundación Centro Melimoyu Ecosystem Research Institute (MERI) was created in 2012 to promote scientific research for the conservation of unique and strategic ecosystems in Northern Patagonia.

In 2015, environmental education was incorporated as a central driver for community engagement, and since then, MERI Foundation has been carrying out scientific research and environmental education at the service of conservation.

Starting in 2019, MERI’s territorial coverage will be extended to other territories with strategic ecosystems for conservation and mitigation, in the context of climate change.

Currently, MERI carries out scientific research and environmental education for the conservation of the strategic ecosystems of three Elemental Reserves: Puribeter (located in San Pedro de Atacama, latitude 22°, Antofagasta Region), Likandes (located in San José de Maipo, latitude 33°, Metropolitan Region) and Melimoyu (located in Melimoyu, latitude 44°, Aysén Region). These territories allow for the analysis of broader ecosystems in Chile and the world.

To fulfill its mandate, MERI has three lines of work:

MERI Foundation’s lines of action are Science, Environmental Education, and Community Engagement. Its work in these areas is done in relation to the marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems in the national ecosystems located at latitude 22°, latitude 33°, and latitude 44°.

The Foundation's lines of action are coordinated around Conservation Targets defined in each territory, with a multidimensional approach, seeking to reduce the threats that affect them from different angles: through scientific research, environmental education, and community engagement, thus generating an effective conservation effort in these territories.