Conclusion
Meanwhile, the experts working with the project supported Chile’s government as it developed Latin America’s first law to protect wetlands in populated areas. The law now extends to more than 100 urban wetlands. The Cahuil Lagoon has been slated for protection, something expected to happen by mid-2025.
Maisa Rojas Corradi, Chile’s environment minister, says the law is part of a larger government effort to protect and restore fragile ecosystems in tandem with local communities.
“The issue of governance is crucial,” she says. “The experience of how to govern and make decisions around ecosystems is tremendously valuable because we hope it can be replicated with other types of ecosystems that need to reverse their degradation to address the biodiversity loss crisis.”
As of 2023, the project has helped 60 municipalities and 15 regions restore more than 11,000 hectares of wetlands. The work is intimately linked to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a landmark 2022 agreement designed to halt and reverse the loss of nature.
The pact includes targets calling for the conservation and restoration of landscapes, like wetlands, and for countries to “enhance” nature’s contribution to human wellbeing.
Back in Cahuil, tour operator Miriam Abarca says she is grateful for the lagoon’s recovery. She inherited her business from her parents and says the tourist infrastructure—including observation platforms—has been a welcome sight.
“The project is the most important thing we’ve had in, I think, decades,” she says. She’s hopeful that even with the project wrapping up in the coming weeks, the residents of Cahuil will continue to preserve the lagoon.
“The wetland must not stop being protected—not just the one in Cahuil, but all wetlands in the country.” UNEP News