ICMM - International Council on Mining & Metals

CASE STUDY

A privately protected wetland in Chile

Background

In 1997, the Los Pelambres copper mining company acquired a wetland the Conchalï Lagoon 4 kilometres north of Los Vilos on the northern coast of central Chile, in the Coquimbo region. The site is located near the company port installation, which is used to ship copper concentrate from the Los Pelambres mine. It is a wetland of regional, national and international importance due to its rich biological diversity, its interesting land and water flora and fauna and the fact that it is a key staging area on the migratory route of neotropical birds and those that migrate between North and South America. The habitat is influenced by two important ecoregions: the Atacama-Sechura Desert and the Chilean Matorral (scrubland).

A Rich Diversity of Species

A creek feeds fresh water to this brackish coastal lagoon, and during periods of high rainfall the barrier island is flooded and the lagoon becomes an estuary. Saltmarshes are mainly composed of coastal salt grass, alkali seaheath and Sarcocornia peruviana.

There are coastal dunes, coastal shrub-steppe vegetation and coastal Mediterranean shrub the last of which is a high conservation priority.

The white-faced ibis, endemic Chilean mockingbird, and Tropidurid lizard are noteworthy species at the site. Five endemic fish species are found. In addition, the two species of swan living in Chile have been recorded at Conchalï Lagoon. Both species merit conservation attention, especially the coscoroba swan, and the lagoon forms the northern territorial limit of this endangered species.

Unusual Protection

When Los Pelambres purchased the site in 1997, the environmental permit associated with the facility indicated that the wetland area should be protected. The company realised that just fencing it off to protect the area from the cattle and dogs roaming there would not be enough. So the site was cleaned and fenced and a full restoration process began.

In 2000, the site was declared a Nature Sanctuary, making the Conchalï Lagoon the only privately protected wild area in the region. Footpaths, observatories and information panels have been placed to attract ecotourists and to provide areas for environmental education. The mining port nearby has a contingency plan in place to avoid impacts on the site, and there are no major threats currently affecting the area.

The company now manages approximately 34 hectares as the Sanctuary. On 2 February 2004, Chile designated this Santuario de la Naturaleza Laguna Conchalï as its eighth entry in the List of Wetlands of International Importance maintained by Ramsar, the secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands. This intergovernmental treaty provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are presently 141 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1,387 sites on the list of wetlands of importance, covering nearly 123 million hectares.

Local and Regional Partners

The Nature Sanctuary and Ramsar site status were obtained with active help from the regional environmental authority CONAMA (the National Environmental Commission) and from CONAF, the National Forest Corporation, which prepared the main documents and followed the process closely.

The nearby town is involved in the project through a group of students who work on weekends as tour guides. New interest in the lagoon will be encouraged by the construction of a small building that will house exhibitions and information about the site. This will enhance the work with the community, as more people will get involved with the area.