Aguada de La Chimba Wetland
“Snails sprout in the eyes of the desert
between the city and the sea
“an oasis resists, is reborn”
The La Chimba Waterfall stands out in green among the desert landscape of the northern Chilean coastal region. This ecosystem in the Antofagasta commune is made up of vegetation sustained by groundwater upwellings from two sources within the wetland: El Rubio and Chimbanito.
Despite being a very important ecosystem for the community, who value it as a space for contemplation and connection with nature, in recent years it has been exposed to constant threats, such as water extraction, illegal entry of people and free-roaming dogs, litter and natural degradation, and damage to archaeological remains of the Camanchacos or Changos, among others.
From this perspective, the Kennedy Foundation, together with the local community, began a conservation project that led to the declaration of Aguada la Chimba as an urban wetland and Nature Sanctuary. In this context, the Cosmos Foundation donated an infrastructure design project that seeks to conserve the ecosystem, ensure sustainable use, and promote nature education.
“where the night falls cold and dark,
“enveloping the cosmos to the earth”Enrique Flores, Poetry of the Desert
The Aguada de La Chimba Wetland is a Nature Sanctuary and is protected as an Urban Wetland, among other reasons, because it has a wealth of species for such a limited area.
This habitat is part of the Chimba basin, which originates in the Quebrada de la Chimba National Reserve, crosses highly vulnerable urban areas (La Chimba camp) and ends in this coastal wetland, which is used as a resting place by migratory and resident seabirds and helps maintain the typical biodiversity of the area, including species such as the Atacama racer, the silver tiger spider, and the Chimba snail, an iconic species for being discovered in this wetland and which is in the vulnerable category.
The Kennedy Foundation is an organization that focuses its work on highlighting the importance of wetlands through conservation programs, education, research, and public policy advocacy. For several years, it has been working on the preservation of the Aguada de la Chimba, with the Cosmos Foundation participating by creating a participatory infrastructure design for the protection and responsible use of the coastal wetland.
The design we worked on with the communities and the Kennedy Foundation for the Aguada de La Chimba Wetland includes walkways that form a system of balconies and viewing platforms that generate respectful interaction between the city, the wetland, and the sea, with observation points in the most notable locations in terms of education or contemplation.