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Communities of Los Ríos Come Together to Re-green Their Future

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• Facing the water crisis, inhabitants of the Los Ríos Region restore native forests and strengthen water management.

In the Los Ríos Region, water scarcity has led local communities to take drastic measures to preserve their future. With the help of science and ancestral wisdom, they have begun restoring over 40 hectares of native forest, focusing on watershed headwaters and drinking water sources.

This collective effort involves diverse stakeholders and has received international support, including from the European Union and WWF Chile, in a project that aims not only to improve water availability but also to strengthen the local economy and water resource governance.

Juan Nahuelpán Compayante, manager of the Vivero Comunitario Las Quemas, highlights the importance of collaboration between different sectors and his optimism about the possibility of reversing water scarcity. Patricia Chacón, leader of the Indigenous Community of Iñipulli, shares this vision and emphasizes the need to leave a water legacy for future generations.

The project, funded by the EU and implemented by WWF Chile, also involves the Los Ríos Regional Government, the Association of Municipalities of the Los Ríos Region, Conaf, and the Superación de la Pobreza Foundation. Its goal is to strengthen climate change adaptation with a human rights approach, restore degraded ecosystems, and foster public-private partnerships to finance and design future restoration projects.

Ewout Sandker, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation in Chile, underscores the importance of supporting initiatives that strengthen climate change adaptation and community collaboration. Carlos Vergara, from WWF Chile, emphasizes the need to monitor and evaluate the impacts of restoration, ensuring that benefits for ecosystems are as relevant as incentives for the community.

Claudia Bustamante, from Conectar para Conservar, coordinates the technical aspect of the watershed protection roundtables and highlights community leadership in bringing together various organizations and businesses to jointly address the protection and restoration of critical areas.

The Los Ríos initiative is an example of how community action, supported by strategic alliances, can tackle the challenges of climate change and water scarcity, ensuring a greener and more sustainable future for all.