Cajón del Maipo Geopark project: preliminary study

Abstract

The Cajón del Maipo is a well-known tourism destination located in Central Andes, 50 km from Santiago, the capital city of Chile (fig.1). This area is visited by national and foreign tourists and is part of the San José de Maipo county, which has an area of 4995 km2 and about 13,500 inhabitants, contrasting with the nearly 6.5 million people living in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago. San José de Maipo is a semi-rural county with an unemployment rate of 9.7% (2009 data). With 11.1% of its population living below the poverty line, San José de Maipo is economically depressed compared to the neighbouring counties. The major economic activities of this area are mining, electrical energy production, livestock and agriculture. However, the Strategic Plan of the Province considers San José de Maipo a county with high potential for ecotourism, nature and environment and establishes tourism as the most promising development activity. the establishment of a geopark near the capital, where about 40% of the population lives, could involve the community in educational activities related to the geosciences and encourage a more harmonious cohabitation with the environment.