The Department of Ecological Sciences is created in 1983, under the direction of Dr. Alberto Veloso, meeting the teaching needs for the Bachelor of Science with mention in Biology and Environmental Biology afterwards. This department complements and extends the area of biological research in the Science Faculty, incorporating the long-standing naturalist tradition at Universidad de Chile through teaching and research projects, both undergraduate and postgraduate. Later, the professionalization of specialist in Ecological Sciences would be added.

In the 30 years of research, the Department of Ecological Sciences academics have received the recognition of their national and international peers through awards from several scientific societies (ie Chilean Society of Marine Sciences, Limnology), internal awards from the University of Chile (ie Amanda Labarca, 21 Century Woman) and the National Science Award granted in 1996 to Nibaldo Bahamonde Navarro and in 2010 to Mary Kalin Arroyo.

In its structuring and academic projections, the Department of Ecological Sciences repeats the model with which the Department of Biology and other departments of basic sciences of the Faculty of Sciences was created. This not only allows the independent management of the academic units, but also allows to fulfill the objective of strengthening the disciplinary development in Chile and channeling the interest of students, both in undergraduate and postgraduate studies, for the recognized excellency and focus of the Faculty of Sciences, as well as the need of a country to study natural resources.

Source: Prólogo de Montecino V, Orlando J (eds.). 2015. Ciencias Ecológicas 1983-2013: Treinta años de investigaciones chilenas. Editorial Universitaria. Santiago, Chile. pp.297. ISBN/ISSN: 956112467.