Malleco National Reserve, National reserve in Malleco Province, Chile.

Malleco National Reserve is a protected area in Malleco Province with dense forests of araucaria trees and volcanic terrain. The landscape features rolling hills covered in evergreen growth shaped by ancient lava flows, creating a mix of forest and rocky outcrops.

Malleco National Reserve was created on 30 September 1907 by Decree No. 1,540 of Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was the first protected wild area established in Chile and Latin America, the third in the Americas and the ninth in the world. It lies in the Cordillera de Pemehue, part of the Andes, and covers 16,625 hectares.

The reserve lies in the Cordillera de Pemehue, home to one of Chile's most important araucaria forests, and its name comes from the Malleco province and river. The area borders Tolhuaca National Park to the south, which was formerly part of the reserve. Visitors can see araucaria, or pehuén, trees whose pine nuts have long been gathered by Mapuche communities in the region.

The nearest town is Collipulli, about 75 km west of the reserve; the Pemehue hot springs lie at the eastern end, where alkaline isothermal water flows out at 37 °C. The reserve receives few visitors each year, and no visitor records exist for 2016, 2017 and 2018. Its southern boundary meets Tolhuaca National Park, once part of the reserve.

The reserve forms part of a larger network of protected lands alongside Tolhuaca National Park, creating a continuous wild corridor. This connected space allows wildlife to move across much larger distances without crossing inhabited zones.