Two researchers from the University of La Serena have carried out studies on 17 wetlands in our region, ecosystems that today experience a series of threats.

Climate change is defined, according to organizations in the environmental world, as the difference between one climatic state balance and another, that is, changes due to adverse effects that impact a given system.

Among the associated impacts of climate change, the melting of ice stands out, which causes a rise in sea level, violent weather phenomena, such as droughts that destroy ecosystems and whose effects favor the development of fires, the death and/or displacement of species, and the appearance and disappearance of water bodies and the destruction of ecosystems.

The Coquimbo Region is not far from all these impacts, in fact, for 60 years there has not been a drought as great as the one it is facing today. Entire productive sectors have been declining, the death of animals is on the rise, and the uncertainty of farmers and peasants is increasing.

The question is, if the large river basins are affected, what happens to the wetlands that maintain a symbiosis of diverse lives and that also need water? Hence the importance of the study carried out by researchers from the University of La Serena on 17 coastal wetlands in the area, and which, from the perspective of the analyzes carried out, are highly threatened not only by the effects of climate change, but also by the anthropogenic actions, that is, the hand of man.

According to the wetlands expert and academic from the Department of Biology of the University of La Serena, Mg. Carlos Zuleta, the water bodies, especially those in the region, have two great threats regarding climate change: one, that precipitation is decreasing, with very prolonged periods of drought; and two, the anthropic use of wetlands, because people use them for different purposes, such as agricultural communities that use wetlands for planting and family gardens.

The researcher assured that the impact of climate change associated with the melting of ice increases sea level, which produces flooding in coastal wetlands, altering ecosystems.

"Coastal wetlands are highly vulnerable to increased storm surges, which means that with the frequency that seawater penetrates the wetlands, the salinity composition of the water is altered, causing changes in the biota, and the problem is that it does not "All species support high salinity in bodies of water," said the academic, one of the speakers at the international seminar "Coastal Wetlands in the Context of Contemporary Climate Change: experiences from Chile, Colombia and Mexico" on the COP25 citizen agenda, an event that It was held at the ULS and where prominent scientists presented.

In the Coquimbo Region, there would be around 200 wetlands, including ponds and other minor wetlands; However, those that are subject to studies by the ULS are 17, which are the main and largest in the area.

“Apart from containing biodiversity and generating various ecosystem services, some wetlands serve as a great cultural point, since many religious festivals and celebrations are associated with them. In addition, they provide nutrient regulation of the properties of different species, so they are not simply pools of water that are in a certain sector, since they fulfill vital functions for human beings and for the regulation of nature, hence lies the importance of everything, knowing how to take care of them and from the legislation, knowing how to protect them,” he expressed.

When asked about what measures can be taken to care for wetlands, both Carlos Zuleta and Víctor Bravo-Naranjo, two of the ULS experts who are investigating these ecosystems, assured that “climate change cannot be stopped, but it can be stopped.” It can be foreseen and appropriate measures taken. One of the appropriate measures would be not only to conserve part of the coastal wetland network, but also to safeguard the basin that feeds them, and develop rational management of it."

According to Carlos Zuleta, the political will is what has been lacking to be able to generate greater protection of the wetlands, "by simply declaring them as an ecological zone or of tourist interest, they could be regulated and, above all, avoid possible damage to these ecosystems," he said.

“The problem in many places and not only in Chile is that we are in mixed systems, where the natural and the citizen are mixed, which is why the anthropic function is generated, that is, the damages are products of man and his actions” , assured the academic.

Ramsar Sites

The ULS has had a leading role in the declaration of Ramsar sites in the Coquimbo Region, such as Las Salinas de Huentelauquén and the Coastal Wetlands of Tongoy Bay, both public, two of the three sites with this designation. , to which Laguna Conchalí is added.

A Ramsar site is a broad figure and has a connotation of the sustainable use of wetlands, and in that sense, the new guidelines of the Convention indicate that human activities must be integrated into the sustainable conservation of wetlands; That means, using it reasonably for human consumption, irrigation, multiple-use marine areas, that is, ecosystems provide services to man, but they must be used sustainably.

One of the most emblematic wetlands of the La Serena - Coquimbo conurbation is El Culebrón, and it has not been without problems, due to its high visitation and the poor management of care that the citizens themselves have had.

For Víctor Bravo, also an academic at the ULS and who together with Zuleta study wetlands, the big problem “apart from the lazy dogs that prey on birds in this place, is that there is a high visitation rate, and due to the lack of a zoning of the place, people enter from any place, generating loss and fragmentation of vegetation, in addition to soil compaction. In the past they entered with vehicles, which has been avoided for a couple of years, but it is to be considered that the traces left by these require at least 10 years of natural recovery of the soil, due to the pressure they exert, and despite the fact that “In this wetland, this threat factor has been eliminated, if it exists for the majority of the coastal wetlands that we analyzed.”

What happens to the birds? “In the Coquimbo wetland there is a clear example of the effects of climate change in synergy with anthropogenic threats. For example, records show that the Snowy Plover has not existed in this site since the 70s. This small bird that needs the dry sand of coastal wetlands to be able to nest and live, which has been lost both due to the advance of the urban border towards the coast, and due to the growing increase in the frequency of storm surges. Due to this, the bird has no place to breed, therefore, these birds are no longer seen in the Culebrón, but they are seen further north such as in the Mouth of the Elqui River and in the Punta Teatinos Wetland, at the northern exit of La Serena, where there are still areas of dunes with creeping vegetation, although not free from anthropogenic threats, especially in summer,” Bravo stated.

Although it is known that climate change is now, social awareness about it is young, and has yet to mature. Conservation figures have advanced, due to the declaration of Ramsar sites; However, much remains to be done.

For Zuleta, proposing conservation measures is very slow and entails high monetary value; resources are not always available for studies, especially for Andean wetlands, where the big problem is getting to them, due to transportation and logistics. that this entails.

Until 2015, at the Latin American level, there were 298 sites declared Ramsar. Bolivia takes the lead in this type of declaration, allocating greater resources to the preservation of wetlands. Chile is owed, it is in position number 12 out of a total of 17. Clearly, very far from the high standards of neighboring countries, and even further from Europe, which is leading the way with its water and ecosystem directive. , which have strict environmental care regulations.

Written by Patricia Castro, DirCom