Restoration plan for the Angachilla Wetland in Valdivia ,Chile

The Angachilla estuary wetland restoration plan was initiated by the community of neighbors in the municipality of Villa Claro de Luna, in Valdivia, Chile. The neighbors worked together with non-governmental organizations to restore the wetland, which has important ecosystem functions that directly benefit citizens. The actions began in 2007 and included cleanup, restoration and environmental education activities to recover a place that, abandoned and without any protection from the authorities, had been turned into a clandestine garbage dump. In 2015, as a result of the sustained work of the community the initiative obtained the support of the municipal government.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Agreement-based or cooperative instrument›Community-based agreement with the support of the government

Challenges addressed

Soil quality
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Drought and fire risk
Flood risk: pluvial and fluvial / soil permeability
Heat stress and heat island effect
Social cohesion
Social equity
Nature appropriation / stewardship
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

Finally, the estuary is now a public green space that can be used by neighbors for recreation and to escape the urban heat.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Green areas for water management

Good practice characteristics:

Effective

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Inclusivity

Governance

Non-governmental actor(s)

Initiating body:

Citizens or community groups / NGOs

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The intervention was initiated by the neighborhood association of the Claro de Luna neighborhood, where the Angachilla estuary wetland is located, in 2007. For the next 8 years the project was run exclusively by volunteers and with very little assistance from the municipality. Several local NGOs joined the cause, as well as university students and the Universidad Austral de Chile. In 2015, once the initiative was institutionalized, the municipality became involved in the management and financing of the restoration and conservation actions.

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs, NGOs, etc.

Details about the implementation:

In December 2007, the Claro de Luna neighborhood association initiated the first project to restore the wetland. Different activities were developed and implemented, such as community clean-up days and environmental education workshops. In 2010, the neighbors of Claro de Luna launched their second major project related to wetland protection: "Restoration and conservation of the Angachilla wetland, through the creation of an Urban Nature Reserve", sponsored by the Ministry of Environment. Activities included environmental education, recreation, seminars, reforestation, mural painting, wildlife observation benches, information points and trash cans at observation points. From 2014 to 2015 additional funds were granted to social organizations working in wetlands, two of them based in Angachilla. As of 2016 the changes in the wetland were institutionalized and in 2020 the Claro de Luna neighborhood board is in the process of managing the declaration of the area as a "Nature Sanctuary".

How did the government support the instrument?:

The local government has been actively involved since 015. Part of the restoration funds were obtained through the city's participatory budgeting program. In 2022, the estuary was turned into a nature sanctuary with the help of the Ministry of the Environment.

Financing

Sources of funding:

Crowd-sourcing

Budget:

Unknown

Details about instrument financing:

Funding for the initiative comes from fundraising led by the Claro de Luna neighborhood association, and also from the municipality's participatory budget program. This research did not find specific information about the amount of budget the intervention has obtained.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Did an evaluation take place?:

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

As a result of restoration interventions guided by the Claro de Luna neighborhood association, the soil quality of the wetland has improved and the area's resilience to flooding has increased. In February 2022 the Angachilla wetland officially became a protected area. It would cover an area of approximately 2,000 hectares. It is home to about 121 species of fauna and 145 species of flora, including 6 endangered and 9 vulnerable species, including birds, amphibians, mammals, and fish.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The protection of the Angachilla wetland began and continues to be led by the community of neighbors who live near it. The bottom-up structure of this initiative is one of its strengths. The local community generated a process of ownership and connection with the area they inhabit given the positive results of their initiative in terms of ecosystem restoration and conservation. The ongoing process of converting the estuary into a protected area is the result of an ongoing community process that succeeded in influencing local government decision-making.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

https://una.city/nbs/valdivia/restoration-urban-wetland-humedal-angachilla https://mma.gob.cl/un-paso-mas-para-declarar-el-santuario-conforman-corporacion-humedales-de-angachilla/ https://www.diariosostenible.cl/noticia/actualidad/2022/02/humedal-de-angachilla-ya-es-reconocido-como-santuario-de-la-naturaleza