Malalcahuello-Nalcas is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

comprising two adjoining national reserves: Malalcahuello and Nalcas. It is located in the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, in the

Araucanía Region The Araucanía ( ), La Araucanía Region ( es, Región de La Araucanía ) is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions, and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south. Its capital and largest city is Te ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

and bordering the Bío-Bío Region. The landscape of the area is dominated by the volcanoes

Lonquimay Lonquimay is a town and commune in the Malleco Province of southern Chile's Araucanía Region. Transport It is the terminus of an abandoned broad gauge railway project which supporters cited as the most practical railway route through the An ...

and Tolhuaca. The combined ''Reserva Nacional Malalcahuello-Nalcas'' covers 313 km², with the boundary between the ''Reserva Nacional Nalcas'' (to the north) and the ''Reserva Nacional Malalcahuello'' (to the south) crossing the summit of Lonquimay. Sandy volcanic soil covers much of the area, with large forested areas dominated by

araucaria ''Araucaria'' (; original pronunciation: .ɾawˈka. ɾja is a genus of evergreen Conifer, coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. There are 20 extant taxon, extant species in New Caledonia (where 14 species are endemism, ende ...

trees. Widespread logging took place in the 1950s. A number of trekking paths can be followed, including a route encircling Lonquimay. Many of these start from the administrative centre of the reserve, operated by

CONAF The National Forest Corporation or CONAF (Corporación Nacional Forestal) is a Chilean private, non-profit organization, through which the Chilean state contributes to the development and sustainable management of the country's forest resources. C ...

, at the village of Malalcahuello.

References

Protected areas of La Araucanía Region National reserves of Chile {{SouthAm-protected-area-stub