A road of division and discovery
Chile's Route 7, the Carretera Austral, is a 1,240-kilometer highway that bisects a vast and remote section of Patagonia. Construction began in 1976 during the Pinochet regime, employing more than 10,000 soldiers from the Chilean Army to connect isolated southern communities with the rest of the country. Before the road, access to the Aysén Region was primarily by sea or air, often complicated by extreme weather. The project was one of the most ambitious Chilean infrastructure works of the 20th century, taking decades to complete, with the final section to Villa O'Higgins opening in 2000.
This engineering feat cuts through some of the planet's most rugged landscapes: temperate rainforests, fjords and mountains. While it achieved its geopolitical goal, it introduced a new dynamic into the ecosystem. The road created a linear barrier through previously unbroken wilderness. This division of habitat is a process known as habitat fragmentation, which can isolate animal populations, reduce genetic diversity, and alter natural behaviors. The road also creates "edge effects," where conditions along the roadside, such as increased light and wind, differ from the forest interior, changing the composition of plant and animal life.
The paradox of access
The road's most direct impact is on wildlife. For species like the endangered South Andean deer, or huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus), the Carretera Austral presents a significant obstacle. With a global population estimated at fewer than 1,500 individuals, the huemul is threatened by habitat loss, and the road slices directly through its territory. This fragmentation isolates already small populations, making them more vulnerable. The road also facilitates the entry of other threats, including poaching, diseases from domestic animals, and predation by domestic dogs, which have been observed attacking huemul near towns like Cochrane.
The paradox is that the same road causing this ecological disruption also provides unprecedented access for conservation. Before its construction, huge swaths of this region were nearly impossible for scientists and conservationists to reach. The highway now is the main artery for the "Route of Parks of Patagonia," a 2,800-kilometer scenic route that connects 17 national parks, protecting 28 million acres. This initiative, spurred by massive private land donations from Tompkins Conservation, has led to the creation of new protected areas like Pumalín Douglas Tompkins National Park and Patagonia National Park. Researchers now use the road to monitor wildlife, study ecosystems, and implement rewilding projects, such as efforts to bolster populations of Darwin's rhea. The road divides the area is the same one that unites a continental-scale conservation effort.