1. General information
2. Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
Claro de Luna was created in the 1990s as a working-class neighbourhood of Valdivia with several social housing projects emerging around it. When people arrived in Claro de Luna the unbuilt area in the front of the neighbourhood had a small forest and grassland, with the wetland hidden behind trees, and over time the land started to be treated as a dumpster by some of the residents and became an open space with no regulation, where different people could extract whatever they needed without any control or sanction from official owners. As a response, some of the residents organised themselves into a neighbourhood committee and started advocating the restoration and protection of the wetland and the surrounding areas. As such some of the goals of this intervention are:
1. To maintain the natural ecological functions that allow wildlife conservation.
2. To improve the air quality, acting as the green lungs of the city.
3. To prevent flooding, facilitating the drainage and purification of rainwater.
4. To regulate the weather, tempering on hot days or serving as barriers to the wind.
5. To provide all citizens with opportunities for education, recreation and outdoor tourism.
6. To promote the relationship between the human being and his environment and create a collective identity.
7. To convert the area into a safe one as it served as a hiding place for burglars and was prone to vandalism (1, 2,3).
1. To maintain the natural ecological functions that allow wildlife conservation.
2. To improve the air quality, acting as the green lungs of the city.
3. To prevent flooding, facilitating the drainage and purification of rainwater.
4. To regulate the weather, tempering on hot days or serving as barriers to the wind.
5. To provide all citizens with opportunities for education, recreation and outdoor tourism.
6. To promote the relationship between the human being and his environment and create a collective identity.
7. To convert the area into a safe one as it served as a hiding place for burglars and was prone to vandalism (1, 2,3).
Quantitative targets
Protecting and cleaning an area of 2000 hectares
Serving approx. 900 people (population of Claro de Luna) directly and 166,000 inhabitants indirectly
Protecting 121 species of fauna and 145 species of flora, including 6 endangered and 9 vulnerable species, such as birds, amphibian mammals and fish. (1,6)
Serving approx. 900 people (population of Claro de Luna) directly and 166,000 inhabitants indirectly
Protecting 121 species of fauna and 145 species of flora, including 6 endangered and 9 vulnerable species, such as birds, amphibian mammals and fish. (1,6)
Monitoring indicators defined
Size of the area
Number of people impacted by the intervention
Number of species of fauna and flora (1,6)
Number of people impacted by the intervention
Number of species of fauna and flora (1,6)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate change adaptation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Implementation activities
The intervention happened in several stages: A local social movement called "Acción por los Cisnes" arose in 2004 after the death of thousands of black-necked swans – triggered by the operations of the Celco-Arauco wood pulp mill. Actions included several marches of over 2000 people; legal and technical assessment of environmental permits issued to the company, revealing institutional failures; and sustained pressure in public media demanding a precautionary approach to stop the operation of the mill until the company’s responsibility was clarified. In December 2007 the Claro de Luna neighbourhood committee started the first big project to protect the wetland. Different activities were developed and executed, such as community cleaning days and environmental education workshops. In 2010, the Claro de Luna neighbourhood committee launched their second big project related to wetland protection: “Restoration and conservation of the Angachilla wetland, through the creation of an Urban Natural Reserve”, sponsored by the Ministry of Environment. Activities included environmental education, recreation, seminars, reforestation, mural painting, wildlife observation benches, information points and trashcans at observation points. From 2014 to 2015, additional funds were granted to social organizations working on wetlands, two of them based on Angachilla. Starting with 2016 changes to the wetland became institutional and in 2020 the Claro de Luna neighbourhood committee is fighting to declare the area a "Sanctuary of Nature". (1,6)
3. NBS domains, ES and scale
4. Governance and financing
5. Innovation
Type of innovation
Novelty level of the innovation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
It is not mentioned that the intervention derived from other initiatives.
Replicability/Transferability
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Eventually the municipality included the Angachilla wetland in a proper action plan alongside other wetlands: Rio Cruces, Santa Ines, Miraflores, Catrico, just to name a few. The wetlands surround the city of Valdivia and are considered as the green lung of the city, being critical for the biodiversity. (1)
6. Evaluation and learning
7. Sources
Please specify other source of non-financial contribution
NGOs, researchers, students (1)
