Indigenous Comunnity Ma 'u Henua

The indigenous community Ma ́u Henua, is the one in charge of managing the Rapa Nui National Park. This organism raised from the legitimate desire of the rapanui people to be in control of its ancestral territory. That’s how this community was constituted in August 2016, becoming the biggest indigenous organism in Chili.

It started in 2016 as a joint administration between CONAF (national forestry corporation) and the Indigenous community Ma’u Henua, while they installed facilities and the knowledge in matter of conservation and protection was being trespassed, the community also had to prepare in terms of administration and others. Meanwhile, the fulfillment of commitments, the progress and evaluations were being checked, so in November 23rd, 2017, the President Michelle Bachelet, traveled to Rapa Nui to sign the agreement in which the delivery of the administration of the Park was approved.

In March 2018, through the concession contract signed by a representative of the Ministry of Land and the president of the Indigenous Community Ma’u Henua, the State of Chile delivered the total administration of the park-43% of the territory- to the Rapa Nui people, which committed to execute, manage, preserve, conserve and protect permanently its biodiversity and natural, cultural, patrimonial and landscape resources.

The Indigenous Community Ma’u Henua is constituted by a directorate elected by vote of the Rapa Nui people, with the following positions: president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, three advisors, an ethics commission and a supervisory commission; all of them aligned in a mission to maintain, conserve and assure the protection and recognition of the importance of the archeological and scenic treasures of the Rapa Nui culture, from the conviction that the island and its legacy, can be preserved and protected as the world heritage that it is.