South Concepción || Designs presented for future Chimalfe and Paicaví-Tucapel Bajo parks

The project is part of an agreement between the Foundation and the municipalities of Concepción and Hualpén to transform wetlands into urban parks. In the Chimalfe (formerly Vasco de Gama) wetland, the proposal, aligned with the ideas of residents, includes a controlled access gate, illuminated trails, and elevated walkways with interpretive and informative signage about flora, fauna, and fungi. These will connect to a shaded area that acts as an amphitheater for talks and discussions, with a design inspired by the wings of the dragonfly, or Chimalfe in Mapudungun. Meanwhile, the Paicaví-Tucapel Bajo wetland will have a new access gate to an environmental education area connected to the Inmaculada Concepción school, which includes a shaded area and a vegetable garden. Trails will be built in areas of tall vegetation and elevated walkways for exploring the area. The project will include an open space for activities and a viewing platform named “Traiwe,” which means heron in Mapudungun. Once the proposals have been submitted to the municipalities, the next step is to develop the technical designs and submit the two projects to the Urban Improvement and Community Facilities Program (PMU) to raise public funding.

Diego Urrejola, executive director of the Cosmos Foundation, explained that they relied on community input for these designs, each with different needs. The Regional Secretary of the Environment, Pablo Pinto, praised the project for enabling the responsible use of wetlands for recreational, cultural, tourism, and research activities.