LCI, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

LCI, Part III Coastal Land & Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilรกn Peninsula Global Nomad for CECPAN, The David & Lucile Packard Foundation August 2020

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilån Peninsula Global Nomad for CECPAN Funded by the David & Lucile Packard Foundation Santiago, Chile – August 2020

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Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilรกn Peninsula

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Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Table of Contents Project description .................................................................................................................................... 3 Scope of work ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 Methodology .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Site relevance......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Co-design process..................................................................................................................................... 4 Goals & methods ................................................................................................................................................... 4 Framework .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Open Space Technology: Ideas gathering ................................................................................................... 5 Collaborative exercise ..................................................................................................................................... 5 General results ....................................................................................................................................................... 6 Detailed results ...................................................................................................................................................... 7 Context & location ..................................................................................................................................... 8 References ............................................................................................................................................................. 8 Communal Land-use Plans in Castro............................................................................................................ 8 Castro Communal Development Plan 2018-2022 ....................................................................................... 9 The Rilán Peninsula: Castro, Putemún, Pullao, Rilán ..................................................................................... 10 Putemún vs Rilán ............................................................................................................................................ 10 Connections, relationships & distances ...................................................................................................... 11 Ecosystems and species in need of protection ......................................................................................... 12 Rilán coastal wetland .............................................................................................................................. 14 Setbacks & buffers .............................................................................................................................................. 14 Coastal Wetlands ........................................................................................................................................... 14 Coastal risk-based setbacks ........................................................................................................................ 17 Stormwater absorption and impervious areas ................................................................................................ 19 Creek protection & water regime ...................................................................................................................... 20 Forest coverage balance & monitoring ............................................................................................................ 21 Erosion control ..................................................................................................................................................... 23 Low impact development ................................................................................................................................... 23 Coastal green infrastructure .............................................................................................................................. 25 Tourism expansion 2018-2022 ................................................................................................................ 27 Sectional Master Plan for Rilán ......................................................................................................................... 28 Sustainable land management ..................................................................................................................... 28 Enabling public infrastructure ....................................................................................................................... 28 Conclusions & final considerations ........................................................................................................ 29 Protecting coastal wetlands............................................................................................................................... 30 Advancing tourism and sustainable development in tandem ....................................................................... 30 Integrated planning for sustainable development .......................................................................................... 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Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Project description Scope of work One of the goals of the Land Conservation Initiative, Part III (LCI III), which focuses on Building a Framework to Conserve the Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds of Chiloé, is to develop a management structure for priority watersheds capable of balancing shorebird conservation with other land use activities.

This project supports LCI III through the development of strategic planning, the delivery of a collaborative workshop, and the execution of the land planning scenario, as described in Goal 2.

Methodology (1)

Conducting an open collaboration workshop in Chiloé engaging the key players of local development, collectively approaching the central question ‘How might we integrate the different land uses on high conservation value coastal areas –natural and cultural- to advance sustainable development in Chiloé?

(2)

Completing a report with the findings and results of the collaborative workshop;

(3)

Delivering basic planimetric exhibits, based on aerial photos and analysis of the growth / development trends carried out by CECPAN, capable of illustrating scenarios of high and low density of real estate / urban expansion and loss of open spaces / landscapes (habitats).

Site relevance Part of the Rilán Peninsula wetland system –which includes Putemún and Pullao– the village of Rilán presents very unique geographic, historic, cultural, scenic, and natural conditions that lead us to target it as a backdrop for a potentially sustainable future, based on the current PLADECO (Plan de Desarrollo Comunal) 2018-2022 developed by the Municipality of Castro, and previous assessments conducted by CECPAN in the area.

Figure 1 | Village of Rilán - Source: SoyChile.cl 3

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Co-design process Goals & methods The main goal of the process is to involve local decision-makers and stakeholders in the process of creating a sustainable development path to balance shorebird conservation with other land use activities.

Framework In tandem with CECPAN, we strategically identified four fixed impact categories, and one open category, that aim at approaching the central question ‘How might we integrate the different land uses on high conservation value coastal areas –natural and cultural- to advance sustainable development in Chiloé?’

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

PRODUCTION RECREATION URBANIZATION CONSERVATION OTHER

Figure 2 | Collaborative workshop invite – Source: own elaboration 4

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

A collaborative workshop was strategically planned and conducted to support this exercise under the guidance of CECPAN and their current community involvement processes. The convening of participants was defined and performed by CECPAN, also responsible for providing a suitable and comfortable gathering space at Ocio Territorial Hotel, in Rilán, as well as establishing an appropriate rationale behind the construction of the participants list toward successful audience engagement.

This diverse group included regional and local representatives of multiple sectors and disciplines, at national, regional, and local levels, involving the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of National Assets, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Social Development, the Regional Government of Los Lagos, the Municipality of Castro, the Network of Private Protected Areas of Chiloé, Academic Institutions, Local Conservation NGO’s, Local Real Estate Developers, Tourism Operators, Local Farm Operators, as well as the Chiloé Chapter for the Chilean National Institute of Architects, among other stakeholders.

Open Space Technology: Ideas gathering Participants, divided into groups, helped pinpoint ways to reach the objective of integrating different land-use patterns in the high natural and cultural value coastal areas of Chiloe, in order to achieve sustainable development. Through this collaborative process, they proposed ideas to accelerate the outcome for the islands, supported by dialogue that led to finding category-based answers.

Collaborative exercise After working in groups on the first exercise, participants collectively chose a specific theme or problem that was discussed within their group to turn it into a collaborative project or value proposition capable of solving such problem, involving land-use overlap, with an integration and collaboration approach. Each group then built a two-minute elevator pitch to present in front of the other groups.

Figure 3 | ecoBlitz results

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Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

General results The challenge was conducted at Ocio Territorial Hotel (Rilán Peninsula) throughout a 3-hour session with an audience of nearly 40 multisectoral/multidisciplinary local representatives, divided into four tables.

Together, and through collaborative and creative dialogue, the participants delivered 52 ideas covering all categories: production (13%), recreation (13%), urbanization (19%), conservation (37%) y other (17%).

Within those fixed and open development categories, their contributions touched on several guiding principles and concepts that, based on prevalence, were at the core of their collective vision for a sustainable land-use and development approach:

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filantropía

capacitación

colaboración

restauración

regulación

infraestructura

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gestión

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educación

economía

idea La conservación como base valórica para construir economía sustentable Conservación privada Planificación territorial provincial, con índices de capacidad de carga Regulación y conservación de humedales Conservación del bosque nativo Protección áreas naturales del borde costero Fiscalización de las áreas protegidas Educación ambiental Rescate del arraigo chilote, con contenido actual Consenso provincial para la preservación de las turbaras y pomponales Valorar el borde costero en su valor intrínseco, patrimonial Generar conciencia en la sustentabilidad de los recursos Conservación de tradiciones Agricultura orgánica Agricultura tradicional Reforestación con especies nativas Educación medio ambiental currículum escolar Acercar con senderos artísticos, históricos. Otras formas de percibir Campañas de educación, sensibilización y capacitación sobre patrimonio natural y cultural Reforzar estudios ambientales proyectos desarrollo Crear asociación de propietarios rurales para defender propiedades Instancias educativas interculturales en las comunidades costeras Manejo responsable de residuos Incentivos para la calidad y el acceso del recurso hídrico Exigir coordinación y coherencia entre políticas públicas Creación de escuela agrícola sustentable Educación superior con pertinencia local Cambios currículum de educación con respecto a la cultura local Crear caletas definidas con accesibilidad para pesca artesanal Educación ambiental Turismo masivo es una amenaza vs turismo sustentable una oportunidad Modelo productivo, planificación de residuos, diversificación Rescate de tradiciones chilotas (cultivo, costumbres) Construcción irracional de alojamiento turístico informal Compatibilizar industria salmonera con desarrollo sostenible Poner en valor el territorio en función de actividades sustentables Paseos deportivos en el borde costero Capacidad de carga Ampliar oferta turística Turismo sustentable Incentivar turismo con intereses especiales Turismo colaborativo con participación comunitaria Plan regulador Conservar borde costero Normativa y fiscalización vs visión local del bienestar Desarrollo inmobiliario de acuerdo con intereses de la comunidad Restricciones áreas urbanizadas en la construcción Planes reguladores actualizados Manejo de residuos urbanos, rurales e industriales Conservación del carácter patrimonial del paisaje cultural Cada nueva vivienda debe incluir soluciones para agua y energía Espacio publico como motor de desarrollo comunitario

valores

concepto CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN CONSERVACIÓN OTROS OTROS OTROS OTROS OTROS OTROS OTROS OTROS OTROS PRODUCCIÓN PRODUCCIÓN PRODUCCIÓN PRODUCCIÓN PRODUCCIÓN PRODUCCIÓN PRODUCCIÓN RECREACIÓN RECREACIÓN RECREACIÓN RECREACIÓN RECREACIÓN RECREACIÓN RECREACIÓN URBANIZACIÓN URBANIZACIÓN URBANIZACIÓN URBANIZACIÓN URBANIZACIÓN URBANIZACIÓN URBANIZACIÓN URBANIZACIÓN URBANIZACIÓN URBANIZACIÓN

ecosistemas / hábitats

# 3 9 10 14 16 18 19 22 26 29 31 35 40 41 42 43 44 45 52 4 11 23 27 28 30 47 50 51 2 5 6 17 25 34 39 1 13 20 32 33 36 48 7 8 12 15 21 24 37 38 46 49

territorio

• territory (21%) • ecosystems / habitats (18%) • local values (12%) • local economy (11%) • environmental education (11%) • management (8%) • infrastructure (8%) • regulation (7%) • restoration (2%) • collaboration (2%) • capacity building (1%) • philanthropy (1%)

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Figure 4 | Organized results, based on prevalence of guiding principles and concepts - Source: own elaboration

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Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Detailed results

Based on the above, the main aspects of sustainable development that the aforementioned participants identified as guiding principles were, proportionally, those observed in this cloud of terms.

Among the guiding principles surveyed —pertinent to this exercise— with the ability to impact the physical environment, in form and quality, natural value, management, and regulation, the following stand out: 1.

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regulations and enforcement to enable a local vision of well-being coordination and coherence between public policies land planning at a provincial level, informed by carrying capacity assessments incorporating more Communal Land-use Plans in Chiloé update existing Communal Land-use Plans in Chiloé regulations for wetland conservation public space as an engine for community engagement and development territory promotion and valuation through sustainable activities promoting the coastal land value based on its natural and cultural assets creating well defined and accessible artisanal fishery warves providing coastal greenways protecting coastal high-value natural assets conserving the coastal zone real estate projects compatible with community interests zoning and other restrictions on building in rururbanized areas conservation as a value-base to build a sustainable community management and conservation of old-growth forest reforestation with native species preserving the cultural heritage and traditions of the islands, developing modern content as well conserving local traditions enabling cultural connections through artistic, cultural and historic trails sustainable tourism as an alternative to avoid the threats associated with massive tourism rescuing the Chiloense culture sustainable tourism

These are the guiding principles that should be used to define best practice planning and design standards, in tandem with best management practices, that facilitate the realization of the objectives and aspirations put forward by the Chiloense community to integrate the different land-use patterns during our collaborative workshop. In a condensed version, these sustainable development principles include: a. b. c. d. e.

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resiliency and climate-proofing for development1; human security, health, equity and wellbeing; environmental health; biocultural permanence; economic prosperity.

Coined by the Asian Development Bank, 2005. Quoted by UNDP, 2010.

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Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Context & location The LCI III, which focuses on Building a Framework to Conserve the Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds of Chiloé, considers four specific communities: Quemchi, Dalcahue, Castro, and Quellón. The particular task covered in this report is supporting the development of strategic planning, delivery of a collaborative workshop, and the execution of land planning scenario exhibits, as described in Goal 2, across the wetlands system within the Rilán Peninsula, part of the Municipality of Castro.

References Castro is one of the main human settlements within the Greater Island of Chiloé, and it is one of its ten communal districts as well as its provincial capital. Located, 1,214 kilometers south of Santiago, Castro was founded in 1567, and it is considered the third oldest city in Chile. The size of the Castro communal district is 473 km² and, according to the census of 2017, it has a population of 43,807 inhabitants, of which 77,7 % live within urban land. According to the Secretariat of Communal Planning at the Municipality of Castro, urban Castro is roughly 134.44 km² (28%), it currently has a Communal Land-use Plan from 2004 –which is due to be updated– and the overall commune has a Communal Development Plan (PLADECO) that currently covers the period 2018-2022. Rural Castro is currently under this plan, with an estimated size of 338.56 km² (72%).

According to the Communal Land-use Plan, by 2004 Castro was divided into nearly 3,224 landholdings, of which 78% have a size under 10 hectares, while 95% of them are under 20 hectares, therefore only 5% of these land holdings are above 20 hectares in size. Given this fragmentation of land ownership, the Communal Land-use Plan narrative document considers Castro a rural smallholdings system.

Communal Land-use Plans in Castro2 The first plan was developed and approved in 1961 and was in force over a thirty-year period. The second version of the Communal Land-use Plan was approved in 1991 and was revised through technical studies by the national consulting firm URBE between 1997 and 1999. Such studies were intended to approve a new version of the Plan that did not see the light, however, the process led to a partial and controversial amendment in 2000. The third version of the Plan was approved in 2007 which introduced, among other amendments, the reduction in size of Castro’s urban boundaries. Finally, the core of the Plan currently in force is the 2007-approved version, with amendments introduced in 2008 –while there is a proposed partial amendment process currently in place since 2019, aimed at preserving the existing Iglesia San Francisco, part of the Churches of Chiloé - UNESCO World Heritage Centre, representing unique examples in Latin America of an outstanding form of ecclesiastical wooden architecture.

The fact that the 2007 Communal Land-use Plan in Castro is currently in the process of being amended through a proposed project to change the maximum building height allowed within Castro’s foundational plateau, opens a window to introduce aspects that could help enhance the protection of Castro’s coastal wetlands system adjacent to growing existing human settlements, like Putemún or Rilán, by expanding the urban boundary, opening up the possibility of using the new Urban Wetlands Law to protect these globally significant natural assets.

Based on recent conversations with Francisco Javier Aguilar, the current architect-in-charge of the amendment process, our understanding is that the Municipality of Castro has the intention to go beyond the aforementioned partial amendment, meaning they will develop a fourth full-version of a new Communal Land-use Plan in the very near future. As part of this intention, the Municipality has conducted an online survey to evaluate the current Communal Land-use Plan with questions that relate to environmental issues.

This survey will help determine the need for funding that the process will require, to request financial support from the designated authorities, to potentially starting the update process by the end of 2020.

According to the aforementioned architect, the new version is expected to become the first Communal 2

https://adefesiodecastro.webnode.cl/planos-reguladores/ 8

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Land-use Plan to appropriately address the commune’s planning issues through local pertinence, something that, according to Aguilar, the first three versions were unable to provide. This is a very important piece of information, since, it opens a real opportunity for an upgrade to the current Communal Land-use Plan in Castro –which does not comply with tsunami-related flood risk boundaries, among other resiliency provisions– embracing a potential urban boundary expansion, that could include the village of Rilán, which has already been identified as a future development hub by the Municipality and a planning priority within the Castro Communal Development Plan 2018-2022 and the Castro Tourist Interest Zone (ZOIT) Action Plan, due to its environmental, tourist and cultural values, among other attributes and characteristics3.

Castro Communal Development Plan 2018-2022 As mandated by Law N° 18.695, this is one of the communal planning tools that exist to steer development –in this case, urban and rural– and guide specific actions that satisfy the needs of the local community, by promoting their social, economic, environmental, and cultural advancement.

While non-legally binding, the current Communal Development Plan (PLADECO) 2018-2022 covers multiple dimensions and aspects of development concerning the communal district. This section will cover mainly the physical, operative, and strategic variables and challenges, directly or indirectly affecting the wetlands system within the Rilán Peninsula as per the current PLADECO. According to this plan, (some of) the challenges are: To achieve environmental sustainability • increase public space and green areas within the commune; • evaluate the current state of the environmental conditions within the commune; • promote and incentivize participation and environmental awareness within the commune; • protect and promote the use of natural resources; • adopt renewable energy efficiently within the communal economic activities; • provide an optimal amount of green areas within the commune.

To achieve territorial integration • communal land planning; • local road planning; • paving of basic road system; • providing express physical connectivity within communal land; • deliver appropriate urbanization conditions within the commune; • enable access to communication systems, cellular, and internet; • enable appropriate urban and rural electrification.

To achieve tourism and cultural development • strengthen tourism and culture institutions; • disseminate tourism and cultural programs offered within the commune; • promote capacity building among tourism and culture organizers; • strengthen tourism and cultural programs; • provide appropriate tourism and cultural facilities within the commune; • deliver a Tourism Development Plan (PLADETUR) with a six-year horizon; • deliver an updated Communal Cultural Plan.

Based on the above challenges, among others contained in this municipal planning document, the 20182022 PLADECO proposes the following vision, mission and objective image:

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Rilán is a Zona Típica, has a permanent resident community, is part of the ZOIT, 9

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

“Castro in the community's heart. Tourism capital of Chiloé, highly competitive municipal district in the realm of special interest tourism, offering innovative products and experiences with identity, inclusiveness, and social integration, offering security to the local community, the visitors, and the tourists.”

How would this aspiration be achievable and what precarious situations should get solved?

The current PLADECO proposes ‘building an inclusive community focused on the need to strengthen and promote a balanced development of the communal district, respecting identity, natural resources, traditions, culture, and community involvement.’

Finally, ‘strengthening and promoting social equity within the community and their territory, enhancing the quality of the road infrastructure and tourism, and improving the many conditions relating to green areas, services, education, health, and capacity building among the community, to make this dream possible.’

Strategic guidelines toward a collectively established objective image • safeguarding the environmental sustainability of the commune for generations to come; • promoting territorial integration toward the development of a system of settlements; • guarding social equity to guarantee human development; • promoting economic competitiveness toward the development of productive assets and services; • enhancing municipal management toward providing better services to the community; • improving tourism and culture to formalize these industries and increase their quality.

The Rilán Peninsula: Castro, Putemún, Pullao, Rilán Within the Rilán Peninsula, CECPAN has recognized the importance of three wetlands that are located along the coast: Putemún, Pullao, and Rilán. Two of these present higher concentrations of humans living in their proximity, according to a study from 20194. These are Putemún and Rilán. However, of these two, the one with more potential for a formal planning process –according to the Municipality of Castro– is the village of Rilán, given its location, shape, community character, influence, growth potential, and already available public infrastructure and utilities.

Putemún vs Rilán Putemún is an undeniably relevant coastal wetland due to its size and natural value, especially as a habitat for migratory shorebirds. It also has more permanent influence from built structures than other coastal wetlands like Pullao or Rilán. In a 2017 assessment conducted by CECPAN, the number of buildings identified inside a 500-meter range from the Putemún wetland’s coastline was 705, within a 1290-acres area (0.55 dwelling units/acre). Conversely, Rilán had 326 buildings in the same terrestrial range from the wetland’s coastline, covering 773 acres (0.42 dwelling units/hectare). However, according to the same assessment, in Rilán more than half of those buildings –176– are within 300 meters from the main square, an area of 70 acres (2.51 dwelling units/acre).

While presenting a slightly higher demographic density around the wetlands, as a spatial unit, Putemún lacks several physical, social, cultural, and historic attributes, and characteristics, as well as land-use diversity and community character, as compared to Rilán. Hence, for the sake of answering the question ‘How might we integrate the different land uses on high conservation value coastal areas –natural and cultural- to advance sustainable development in Chiloé? Rilán will provide a richer prototypical context to visualize the planning potential of a future sustainable land-use and development model, with the latest regulations and best practice planning solutions applied.

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Territorial analyses using InVEST models, 2019.

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Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Connections, relationships & distances The village of Rilán is located on the southeast coast of the Rilán Peninsula. It is connected by land with the city of Castro through the existing road system. It is also connected by land with Chañihué –among several coastline destinations across the Castro district– on the west coast of the Peninsula, which is only 2.8 kilometers across the water from the City of Castro. While at the moment there are no official water connections between the City of Castro and the Rilán Peninsula, and the currently existing shellfish extraction operations is on this maritime space, it seems natural that in the near future both sides of the ocean will connect. There are many examples like this in the world, especially on archipelagos, where water connections are the norm. In some cases, urban areas like the City of Castro, become the main business and services hub for broader settlements, where neighboring areas become complementary developments for people who decide to live with more space and peace, while still working in the city, commuting daily.

While we are not encouraging the expansion of the city across the water, our goal is to illustrate a scenario –which is very likely to happen shortly– that would certainly put pressure on the Peninsula –and on property value– in a way that has not yet been foreseen by any planning process or vision in the area. We consider the use of the water as a shortcut to access the Rilán Peninsula to be simply a potential geographic adaptation, therefore, we will briefly explore how this scenario would affect the village of Rilán as a destination, and the existing land along the connecting roads, which are steadily being paved, should an official maritime portal be open from Castro to a future dedicated wharf in Chañihué: • • • •

Castro – Chañihué via Land: Castro – Chañihué via Water: Chañihué – Rilán: Castro – Putemún – Rilán:

21.4 Km 2.8 Km 13.7 Km 26.4 Km

Castro

2.8 Km 1.8 m iles

Rilán Peninsula

Internal waters

Chañihué

Figure 5 | Potential urban expansion in Castro - Source: own elaboration, using Google Earth

From a tourism perspective, considering the goal of consolidating a sustainable, cultural, and natural valuebased attractions of the archipelago, this expansion is a complement of the already robust higher-end hospitality infrastructure available on the west side of the Peninsula. Hence, implementing a water bus or water taxi service would be an enabling solution to access the hotels in the area, which may even have interest an in operating it. It would also expedite access to the Peninsula, which, according to the Municipality of Castro, concentrates most tourism and leisure activities in the commune, where Rilán, Quehui, and Chelin concentrate 32% of all attractions, 92% of them being cultural, mostly near the coastline.

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Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Figure 6 | Location of tourist attractions in Castro - Source: ZOIT, 2015

Ecosystems and species in need of protection The Municipality of Castro has identified the value of natural ecosystems and recognizes the need for protection, on both terrestrial, coastal, and marine environments.

The coastal ecosystems of the Chiloense region, which include canals, estuaries, internal waters, and fjords are located in an estimated 10,700 linear kilometers of coastline. The Rilán Peninsula has been recognized as one of the highest ecologically important coastal areas within this region.

The province harbors nearly ten wetland systems5 classified in peat bogs and coastal wetlands that are very rich in birdlife. According to the Municipality of Castro, nearly 80 bird species use these wetlands for breeding, resting, and reproduction. In 2011, the Ministry of National Assets signed an agreement with several Municipalities in the archipelago, that established “the Heritage Route of Chiloé: wetlands, birdlife and culture” to integrate natural and cultural values, especially connecting important sites, with a focus on tourism. Castro’s Secretariat of Communal Planning has not identified landscape units per se, however, recent municipal assessments (2018) derived in a new tool named Indicators of Identity and Cultural Landscape Quality which aims at measuring and enhancing the relationship of Castro’s citizens and the territory they live in, derived from their own perception of wellbeing. According to the community: 1. communal planning should enhance the community’s quality of life; 2. communal identity and how the community values their cultural landscape influences their quality of life; 3. communal planning has produced a disassociation between the elements of the local landscape and human occupation patterns; 4. Castro’s identity and how the community values its cultural landscape depend on a series of cultural elements that are not valued homogenically by all members of the community, therefore there needs to be a planning process that recognizes and is based on this diversity of perceptions.

Castro’s coastal wetlands attract people due to their beauty and biological functions. At the same time, they act as buffers to mitigate the energy of sea waves and storm surges, as well as against rising sea levels in the context of global climate change. Some of these events can violently impact the coast, causing beach erosion, damaging coastal infrastructure, and producing detriment to coastal fisheries. As long as coastal wetlands are maintained, these impacts will be significantly less. Furthermore, if the connection between coastal wetlands and “upstream” water sources is maintained or restored, the former can accumulate sediment and partially offset the effects of rising sea levels. Therefore, it is essential to protect coastal wetlands, prevent their disappearance, their filling, and the elimination of their fundamental environmental functions. This is especially important considering the topography of Rilán, where vulnerability and exposure to tsunamis, storm surges, and sea-level rise is quite evident (Figs. 7-8).

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Castro, Chullec, Curaco, Nercón, Pullao, Putemún, Quinchao, Rilán, San Juan, and Teguel.

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Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula 4.90 Km

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Tsunami Inundation Risk Map, based on ESRI - International Tsunami Information Center [Referential]

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Figure 7 | Source: own elaboration 4.90 Km

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Mid-range (Kopp et al. 2014; highly cited): Globally-extensive local projections providing different ranges of future sealevel rise under different climate pollution scenarios; widely cited and used. Built on average global projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (2013). Full citation: Kopp et al. (2014).

Probabilistic 21st and 22nd century sea level projections at a global network of tide gauge sites. Earth's Future, 2(8), 383– 406.

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Referential Sea-level Rise Map, based on Coastal Risk Screening Tool – Climate Central [Referential]

0

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Figure 8 | Source: own elaboration 13

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Rilán coastal wetland Rilán is part of the Eastern Chiloé Wetlands, and of a broader system of coastal wetlands present on the Rilán Peninsula. It is recognized as a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network - WHSRN site, providing birdlife a place to refuel and rest during migrations. Cataloged as a Marsh, this 101.4-hectare wetland is a coastal ecosystem located in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater.

The biotic components that shape this ecosystem consist of vegetal formations that comprise 40 flora species (27 native, 13 introduced) characterized by scrubs, grasslands, and marshes, as well as birdlife that includes migratory shorebirds such as Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus), Hudsonian godwits (Limosa haemastica), Brown-hooded gulls (Chroicocephalus maculipennis), among others, with up to 23 species / 294 individuals registered during the spring of 2012 and up to 18 species / 775 individuals registered during the summer of 2013.

Based on records provided by CECPAN. some of the main anthropogenic threats to this wetland at the moment are a. motorized vehicles circulating along the beach over a clearly defined area during low tide. This activity is not regulated at the moment; b. micro dump on the north shore of the wetland; c. cow and sheep grazing on the marshes and transit on the tidal flats; d. while wastewater is currently considered well managed through appropriate wastewater treatment plant6, it has been identified as a potential threat since the treated wastewater is being discharged directly into the wetland, with the potential to produce water contamination and eutrophication of the wetland.

Setbacks & buffers Coastal Wetlands Throughout the following planning exercise, we will use the precautionary principle at all times, which states that "if an action or policy might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public or the environment, in the absence of a scientific consensus that harm would not ensue, the burden of proof falls on those who would take the action”. This means focusing on proof of safety instead of proof of harm.

To provide protection to the coastal wetlands, we are proposing the use of setbacks. A setback is the distance from the edge of a developed area to an identifiable natural heritage feature, defined on a sitespecific basis that outlines an ecological buffer zone.

There are many approaches to setting the buffer distance—usually defined in feet or meters measured horizontally from the edge of the defined wetland. a. fixed non-disturbance buffer within which disturbance activities are prohibited (or strictly limited); b. non-disturbance buffer plus additional setback distance for structures from the edge of the wetland buffer (wet edge), so that buildings are not constructed on the buffer’s edge; c. regulated buffer area with minimum non-disturbance area within which regulatory scrutiny will be applied to limit uses by permit or other review.

6

The project considers a budget of more than CLP $105 million, from the national Programa de Mejoramiento de Barrios and is expected to benefit 757 families. http://www.subdere.gov.cl/sala-de-prensa/subdere-apruebaimportante-cartera-de-proyectos-para-la-comuna-de-castro 14

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Up until 2020, Land-use Plans in Chile did not consider setbacks or buffers to protect wetlands. However, the recently approved Bylaw associated with the Urban Wetlands Protection Law will allow municipalities to include these within their local ordinances and physical boundaries. Effective best-practice sciencebased wetland buffers across the United States depict a wide range of dimensions, going from 15 feet – measured horizontally from the natural heritage feature– to approximately 350 feet, up to 500 feet, as a distance for greater regulatory review of proposed activities, which would not consider non-disturbance.

For this exercise, we are assuming a scenario where the village of Rilán, as well as its coastal wetland, is annexed to Castro’s Communal Land-use Plan, in a fourth version that follows the guidelines developed by the Bureau of Climate Change and Environmental Evaluation at the Ministry of the Environment, aiming at introducing aspects of mitigation and adaptation in Communal Land-use Plans as of June 2020, through a Strategic Environmental Assessment, as mandated by the Climate Change Framework Law, and the Urban Wetlands Protection Bylaw.

In this context, we are recommending a ~330-foot buffer area, which is equivalent to 100 meters, with a minimum non-disturbance area of ~230 feet / 70 meters. This setback to be measured from the existing coastal wetland boundary, as defined by the maps provided by CECPAN, the Regional Government of Los Lagos, and the Ministry of the Environment for the Rilán wetland. The remaining ~100-foot / 30-meter regulated buffer area will limit constructability to a maximum of 2% for specific uses by permit from the designated body, limited to enabling infrastructure and facilities for tourist, fishing, and public purposes, where residential use will be prohibited. Furthermore, we recommend an additional ~50-foot / 15-meter setback, as an allowance for a greenway or walking trail, given Rilán’s focus on tourist activities.

All buildings located in the regulated buffer area will be mandated to comply with resiliency principles through best-practice low-impact development guidelines and nature-based solutions, and address the recently approved Urban Wetlands Bylaw which considers the following minimum criteria: a. protect the ecological and functioning characteristics of urban wetlands; b. maintain the surface-water and groundwater hydrological regime of urban wetlands; c. promote a rational use of urban wetlands.

Based on this new Bylaw, urban wetlands will be managed with an adaptive approach to reduce the multiple threats they face, with a focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

In the case of public and enabling tourist infrastructure, preventive climate-proofing measures should be addressed to ensure that project results will not be hampered by potential climate change throughout their lifespan.

Figure 9 | Buffer Distance by Function - Source: Planner’s Guide to Wetland Buffers for Local Governments7

7

March 2008 Environmental Law Institute.

15

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula 4.90 Km

Additional Buffer Boundary

Additional Buffer Boundary Rilán Wetland

4.25 Km

Legend Wetland Area 15m Additional Wetland Buffer 30m Regulated Wetland Buffer 70m Fixed Wetland Buffer 15m Fixed Stream Buffer Water Stream Birdlife Resting Area Rilán Wetland Boundary

Rilán Wetland Additional Buffer Boundary

Additional Buffer Boundary

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Proposed Setbacks + Buffer Areas - Wetlands and Water Streams

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Figure 10 | Integrated Proposed Setbacks - Source: own elaboration

Based on maps provided by CECPAN, the Regional Government of Los Lagos, and the Ministry of the Environment for the Rilán Wetland, including sea-level rise forecasts by Climate Central and recommendations by The International Tsunami Information Center, among other sources, above is an integrated planning diagram showing the boundaries that delineate a specific rest zone for migratory birdlife, and the edge of the wetland, from which the aforementioned setbacks are offset to delineate the three components of the proposed 115-meter buffer: component A – 70 meters, component B – 30 meters, component C – 15 meters.

Coastal wetland varies

component A 70 meters

component B 30 meters

component C 15 meters

Fixed non-disturbance Buffer

Regulated Buffer

Additional Setback

No permanent occupation allowed 0%

Limited constructability up to 2% coverage

Greenway only

No industrial use allowed No residential use allowed Specific tourist enabling infrastructure allowed e.g. elevated observation platforms connected to components B or C for pedestrians with birdlife observation purposes

No industrial use allowed No residential use allowed Public and tourist enabling infrastructure allowed

Public and Tourist enabling infrastructur e allowed

Nature Based Solutions / Green infrastructure Coastal floodable parks are encouraged

NBS’s / Green infrastructure Coastal floodable parks are encouraged

Greenways adjacent to NBS’s are encouraged

Urban development varies

16

4.90 Km Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

The following is an augmented version of the proposed setbacks map (Fig. 10), depicting dimensions, boundaries, setbacks, and buffer zones complementing the table’s restrictions, constraints, and allowances per component.

Additional Buffer Boundary

115m

component A

Rilán Wetland

component B

Additional Buffer Boundary

component C

Figure 11 | Proposed Setbacks, detail - Source: own elaboration

Coastal floodable wetland parks can be designed to control flow rates and decrease flow peaks by storing excess floodwater and releasing it slowly once the risk of flooding has passed. This type of Natural Based Solutions (NBS) can play a particularly important role in mitigating potential impacts caused by surface run-off water from rain, flash-floods, or from small and medium-sized water streams. Other potential benefits that floodable parks can provide are, among others, reducing the water flow entering the public sewerage system together with delivering amenity and biodiversity benefits, including constructed habitats (e.g. constructed wetlands, rain gardens, etc).

According to the table on page 16, the proposed components vary in prohibitions and limitations as the distance from the coastal wetland increases. Disturbance activities to be prohibited in components A and B include filling, grading, removal of vegetation, buildingRilán construction, and changes in water levels and Wetland drainage.

Additional

Coastal risk-based setbacksBuffer

Additional Buffer Land planning for hazard mitigation is an approach that acknowledges that climate vulnerability and Boundary Boundary

resilience are related to both how we build and where we build. The village of Rilán has a very unique geographic situation, as it is surrounded by water from north and south, hence it could almost be considered an isthmus within the Rilán Peninsula. This may be particularly severe in terms of exposure and vulnerability to tsunamis and storm surges (Figs. 7-8).

17

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

The International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC) defines contour line 30 meters above sea level as the safety zone (Fig. 7). This standard recommendation has been adopted by Chile, and it is included in the national planning regulations (OGUC, Art 2.1.17) by recognizing risk zones that should be delineated within any and all Communal Land-use Plans, where construction will be restricted. Risk zones include floodable or potentially floodable areas due to tsunamis, near water bodies such as lakes, rivers, estuaries, creeks, and non-canalized water streams. Also, this regulation recognizes the delineation of natural-value resource protection areas, that are officially protected by law, including coastlines (marine, riparian, lacustrine), national parks, national reserves, and national monuments (OGUC, Art 2.1.18).

Tsunamis and storm surges are recurring coastal flood hazards. Setbacks are appropriate also to regulate the location of structures and minimize the impact of socio-natural disasters associated with the shortterm dynamism of the coastal zone. However, there is a slow-paced phenomenon that is also occurring on the coast, associated with its long-term dynamism, which is the variation in sea level associated with climate change. In this case, we are using sea-level maps8 developed by Climate Central (Fig. 8), which are based on peer-reviewed science available in leading journals, depicting the land projected to be below annual flood levels by 2050.

Currently, improved elevation data indicate far greater global threats from sea level rise and coastal flooding than previously thought and thus greater benefits from reducing their causes.

Castro’s 2018-2022 PLADECO identifies the history of flooding due to tsunami vulnerability along the commune’s coastal zone, especially after the earthquakes of 1960, 2007, 2010, and 2016, recognizing that the highest exposure is in Nercón Bajo, the Rilán Peninsula, and Ten Ten. Nevertheless, the PLADECO identifies the implications of not having coastal resiliency measures in the current Communal Landuse Plan, and recognizes the existence of highly exposed built structures along the coastline of the commune, in both urban and rural areas.

Figure 12 | Eastern Chiloé Wetlands - Source: Diego Luna-Quevedo 8

These maps should be regarded as screening tools to identify places that may require deeper investigation of risk.

Big datasets always include error.

18

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Stormwater absorption and impervious areas Human-caused ecosystem disturbances and climate change are leading threats that increase the vulnerability of aquatic resources to a variety of harmful human activities, including • tree removal • road building • construction near shorelines and streambanks • artificial hardening of lakeshores with retaining walls and bulkheads • pastures and cropland near waterways • landfills and litter, and more.

The health of our coastal wetlands depends on aquifer recharge with stormwater.

Some of these induced alterations are derived from space use patterns, which in time produce disturbances such as soil degradation and erosion, as well as deforestation, especially affecting oldgrowth forests.

Inattention to increases in the percentage of impervious surfaces —such as pavement in roads, sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots— can increase exposure to flood hazards.

A USD 2.5 million road paving project to be executed on the Rilán Peninsula was just announced by the Major of Castro in June of 20209, which includes the village of Rilán. This has been a long-awaited community aspiration for over thirty years, and they have expressed their displeasure10 through street protests, complaining about the mud on the roads during the long Chiloé winters.

While the political value of resolving these issues using 20th-century engineering solutions is very high, there is little or no understanding of the implications of increasing the impervious areas without appropriate and sustainable stormwater management measures.

This project is consistent with the PLADECO 2018-2022, which identifies four main tendencies and issues on the village of Rilán that will be addressed during this period • road paving • expansion or enhancement of the sewage system • enhancement of green areas • increase the frequency of solid waste collection The loss of pervious areas within the village of Rilán as a result of road and sidewalk paving for the local may affect the local water regime, including an increased volume of urban runoff and a potential detriment in the health and balance of the adjacent coastal wetlands.

9 10

http://www.castromunicipio.cl/?p=9384 https://www.soychile.cl/Chiloe/Sociedad/2019/03/24/587445/Vecinos-de-Rilan-exigen-la-pavimentacion-delpoblado-y-agua-contaminada.aspx 19

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilรกn Peninsula

Creek protection & water regime Water streams are the main source of health and balance for coastal wetlands. Maintaining and protecting these streams, allowing seeds to germinate and supporting breeding and wildlife movement, can also be achieved through the delineation of appropriate upstream setbacks. In this exercise, we have mapped water streams based on broad topographic and hydrologic data extracted from existing maps and aerial imagery available from various sources and scales, some of them provided by CECPAN. A more precise planning approach would require that all micro-watersheds that feed the Rilรกn area, and especially the wetlands, are surveyed comprehensively to gather topographic information based on creek depth, steepness of banks, and topography of the top of bank. The land between the creek and the setback line is defined as the creek fixed buffer, within which disturbance activities and buildings are prohibited.

As a general planning approach, we are recommending a 50-foot / 15-meter fixed non-disturbance buffers on each side of the stream, measured landward from the top of bank. This buffer is also meant to prevent upstream water pollution, as well as addressing the potential flooding of the creek as a measure to reduce hazard risks for the Rilรกn community.

Figure 13 | Source: LID certification System, an initiative of The Fund for Lake George in New York State.

The above diagrams depict one example of how to implement science-guided nature-based solutions that help protect creeks and water streams by planning and maintaining buffers where existing native trees, vegetation, and soils will not be disturbed, while non-native and/or invasive species within them may be periodically removed.

20

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Forest coverage balance & monitoring To maintain the health and flow of the existing water streams that feed both the aquifer and the coastal wetlands, forest coverage is crucial. Forests along streams act to preserve and enhance water quality through a number of ways, and they have a role in the regulation of water quantity and temperature. Soils below streamside forests have a greater ability to absorb water than soils associated with other land-use types such as row-crop agriculture and impervious areas. In the case of Chiloé, soil infiltration capacity experimental studies show that old-growth forests present nearly three times the stormwater infiltration rates of young forests, pastures and cropland. Old-growth forests act as virtual ecosystem sponges, with great impact on aquifer recharge, which is fundamental in Chiloé, where there are no alternative hydric reserves stored in the shape of glaciers or snow. Keeping infiltration capacity in balance contributes to the health of the ecosystem, the coastal wetlands and human wellbeing.

4.90 Km

22 10 21

Rilán Wetland

66 08

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20

Legend

04

Micro-watersheds Water Streams Birdlife Resting Area Rilán Wetland Boundary

07 11 13

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Micro-watersheds + Water Streams, based on InVEST – CECPAN [Referential]

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Figure 14 | Source: own elaboration

While there is the perception that the source of the water crises that Chiloé faces yearly is related to the reduction in precipitation due to climate change, nevertheless, according to data from the General Water Authority at the Ministry of Public Works, there have been no significant changes in the precipitation regime in the past fifty years in Chiloé. Therefore, critical ecosystem degradation is a key factor affecting the water regime, due to disturbances in their storage capacity.

We have mapped spatial patterns (Fig. 14), based on a broad aerial imagery analysis of current tree canopy coverage within an area of 14.5 km² around Rilán, finding that nearly 48% of the land within such quadrant is covered by pastures and cropland, while 52% of it is covered by forests, mostly along streams. This analysis is based on spatial contrast and does not discriminate between old-growth and young forests.

The recommendation here is to conduct comprehensive baseline surveys to gather more detailed data toward maintaining old-growth forest coverage over time, which will also help minimize soil degradation and provide erosion control. Additional restoration and reforestation programs could be advised, based on the results of the proposed assessment.

21

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula 4.90 Km

Rilán Wetland

4.25 Km

Legend Tree Canopy Coverage Area Birdlife Resting Area Rilán Wetland Boundary

Rilán Wetland

SCALE BAR 0

Canopy Coverage Map, based on ESRI [Referential]

250

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1000

Figure 15 | Source: own elaboration 4.90 Km

High Erosion

22 10 Medium Erosion

21 Medium Erosion

Rilán Wetland

66

Medium Erosion

08

4.25 Km

19

Medium Erosion

Low Erosion High Erosion

20 04

Legend Low Erosion

High Erosion Medium Erosion Low Erosion

07 Low Erosion

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Very Low Erosion

Medium Erosion Low Erosion

09

Birdlife Resting Area Rilán Wetland Boundary

Rilán Wetland

06

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Very Low Erosion

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Erosion Levels in Micro-watersheds, based on InVEST – CECPAN [Referential]

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Figure 16 | Source: own elaboration 22

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Erosion control Using InVEST models developed in 2019 and provided by CECPAN, which mapped the degree of urbanization and spatial density as well as erosion levels in each micro-watershed on the Peninsula, we found a clear overlap between erosion and land-use patterns, specifically on our study area, consisting of 14.5 km² around Rilán. As seen in the following diagram (Fig. 15) there are two micro-watersheds feeding the wetlands that, at the same time, show the highest erosion levels. These are the same two microwatershed that contain the highest population density and, therefore, most of the built structures and impervious surfaces. It is also an area where the proportion of tree canopy coverage is lowest within the sampled 14.5 km² area around Rilán.

4.90 Km

High Erosion

22 10 Medium Erosion

21 Medium Erosion

Rilán Wetland

66

Medium Erosion

08

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19

Medium Erosion

Low Erosion High Erosion

20 04

Legend Low Erosion

High Erosion Medium Erosion Low Erosion Very Low Erosion

07 Low Erosion

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09

Expansion Potential Birdlife Resting Area Rilán Wetland Boundary

Rilán Wetland

06

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Figure 17 | Source: own elaboration

Low impact development Contaminated runoff degrades coastal waters and habitats. Sustainable stormwater management, especially upstream, is fundamental to secure the health of the coastal wetlands and it is an important resource toward maintaining soil infiltration and interflow functions while decreasing erosion and pollution levels, as well as reducing flooding risks associated with urbanization and impervious spatial densification.

Low impact development (LID) best management practices (BMP) is a landscape-driven approach to planning and design that introduces water-accepting landscapes in urban areas, using soil and vegetation to approach stormwater management in an efficient, effective, and economical way.

Conventional drainage planning and design principles depend on piped systems to get stormwater to go where the design wants it to go and do what design wants it to do. LID planning and design uses surfaces to facilitate the purposeful movement of water and reduce or sometimes even eliminate the need for pipes and decrease the volume and flow of water running across impervious areas, known as urban runoff. LID also mimics natural hydrologic processes such as infiltration, storage, and evapotranspiration, using smallscale on-site practices that are decentralized throughout the site. LID, then, focuses on capturing, treating, and retaining small storm events, helping to reduce the amount of runoff to manage.

23

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

There are five core planning and design principles for LID that we recommend as part of future development in the village of Rilán a. conserve natural areas wherever possible, avoid paving over the entire village’s road system, sidewalks, etc., keeping discontinuity between paved areas to ensure runoff infiltration close to the source; b. minimize the impact of development on hydrology as much as possible; c. maintain the original runoff rates and keep the water on the village, avoiding the use of piping; d. scatter integrated management practices throughout the village, including decentralized, microscale controls that infiltrate, store, evaporate, and/or keep runoff close to the source; e. implement pollution prevention, proper maintenance, and public education programs, keeping a systemic and integrated management perspective.

A future Sectional Master Plan with LID environmentally sensitive site planning and design solutions in the village of Rilán should include Drainage Management Areas (DMA’s) and basic decentralized microscale controls such as raingardens, stormwater planters, tree-wells, as well as permeable pavements.

Figure 18 | Stormwater tree-well along a sidewalk to capture, control, and treat rainfall – Source: SEA Pitsburgh

Some of the benefits of following these planning and design principles for LID are • reduced infrastructure needs and management over time; • improved flood control; • improved water quality; • groundwater recharge; • community aesthetic, health, environmental justice.

Applying planning and design principles for LID in the village of Rilán as an NBS approach to sustainably lead up to the steady urbanization process taking place in Chiloé will help introduce a new paradigm o reduce human-caused ecosystem disturbances as well as help minimize soil degradation and provide erosion control over time. As part of our recommendations, a more precise planning and design approach to a Sectional Master Plan both in Rilán and Putemún, two of ZOIT Action Plan’s key sustainability goals, will require site-specific engineering surveys that include using EPA's Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) which is an open-source free public software used throughout the world for planning, analysis, and design related to stormwater runoff management, as well as the support of an appropriate multidisciplinary team of planners, designers, economists and engineers that are able to model evidencebased integrated solutions that are indeed efficient, effective and economical throughout their entire lifespans. NBS to development will provide not only a low-impact future in Chiloé, but also a regenerative opportunity for its globally relevant unique habitats and ecosystems.

24

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Additional Buffer Boundary

Additional Buffer Boundary

Rilán Wetland

15m Additional Wetland Buffer

30m Regulated Wetland Buffer

70m Fixed Non-disturbance Wetland Buffer

Figure 19 | Proposed Setbacks, detail - Source: own elaboration

Coastal green infrastructure Green infrastructure is dynamic. It must be strategically planned for, invested in, and managed at local and regional levels. To address and capitalize on Rilán’s natural and cultural value and its potential as a tourist destination as a result of having its own traditional Festivales Costumbristas, while being part of the Churches of Chiloé - UNESCO circuit, as well as Chiloé’s recognition in 2018 as one of the “Top 100 Green Destinations” worldwide, we recommend the implementation of two greenways parallel to the north and south bays, to be located outside of the 100-meter setback, using the additional 50-foot / 15-meter setbacks that complement the fixed non-disturbance buffer.

Rilán

The consolidation of this enabling public infrastructureWetland is consistent with the existing initiatives described on this report and will help organize and regulate both the land-use and the activities around the coastal wetland by keeping disturbances Additional away from them, while banking on the visual and biological potential Buffer of the area for contemplation and observation of the landscape and the habitats.

Additional Buffer Greenways are walkable and bikeable trails along undeveloped land, or a natural corridor such as a Boundary Boundary

riverfront, or a waterfront, planned and designed for recreational use and/or environmental protection. In the case of the greenways we are recommending for the village of Rilán, they will serve both purposes, in addition to the goal of enhancing access to public space, as per the PLADECO 2018-2022 and our collaborative workshop aspirations, as well as tourist destinations that strengthen the ZOIT’s goal of adding enabling public infrastructure for tourist management. These should consider the recommended planning and design principles for LID as well as other NBS principles.

25

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Figure 20 | Source: Fundación Legado Chile

Figure 21 | Source: Fundación Legado Chile

The economics of green infrastructure is one of the greatest arguments to support and understand their value as compared to conventional practices. One survey11 conducted by the EPA that involved more than 300 members of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) showed that of 475 case studies in which they implemented green infrastructure or LID to manage stormwater, roughly 45% of them saved money by going green, ~30% broke even, and only ~25% of them increased conventional costs. The implementation of green infrastructure has also been identified as a source of property value increase, as well as a way of attracting more visitors that bring more spending, as well as providing job and rental opportunities associated with tourist and recreational activities within or around such green infrastructure and healthy natural assets. Green infrastructure has moved from ecology to economics, seeing resources such as rural, coastal, wetlands, urban parks, street trees, and their ecosystems as critical for sustainable economic growth and social goals, not just a way of supporting wildlife and ‘the environment’.

11

https://dirt.asla.org/2011/09/26/asla-releases-more-than-475-stormwater-management-case-studies/ 26

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Figure 22 | Source: East Coast Greenway

Figure 23 | Source: The Basalt River Restoration

Tourism expansion 2018-2022 A ZOIT (Zona de Interés Turístico) or Tourist Interest Zone is a public-private management tool to promote tourism that is developed and implemented through participation, coordination, and commitment from both the public and the private sectors. Castro is the only commune within Chiloé that has been declared Tourist Interest Zone, which in addition to focusing on the execution of public programs and projects that promote tourism growth, provides resources to build infrastructure and facilities that support the industry.

Therefore, the commune has a ZOIT Action Plan that was developed by the Undersecretary of Tourism in 2015. According to this initiative “by 2020 Chiloé will be the fourth international destination in Chile, with Castro being the main engine of such development”. Rilán is also an important destination within the commune and within the ZOIT, which considers a whole program for the Rilán Peninsula that includes the Iglesia de Rilán as part of its main guiding axis, along with another two initiatives. The church of Rilán is 27

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

part of the Churches of Chiloé - UNESCO World Heritage Centre, representing unique examples in Latin America of an outstanding form of ecclesiastical wooden architecture since 2001.

The ZOIT Action Plan considers a budget of CLP $ 2,000 million, sourced by the Municipality and the Regional Government, to jointly fund a total of twenty measures, that include • Sectional Master Plan for Putemún; • elevated observation platforms on the Putemún wetland; • establish a marine concession on the Putemún wetland; • establish a marine concession on the Pullao wetland; • enhance the scenic outlooks within the Peninsula; • rebuild the Corrales de Pesca on Yutuy; • consolidate the Peninsula’s traditional Festivales Costumbristas (Quento, Quel Quel, Rilán, Yutuy, La Estancia); • Sectional Master Plan for Rilán.

Within the ZOIT Action Plan, there is also a Tourist Competitive Plan, which is meant to permeate all communal regulations, ordinances and bylaws through a program that also promotes amendments to Castro’s Communal Land-use Plan, to align with the spirit of the ZOIT Action Plan.

The declaration of a ZOIT is approved by the Ministerial Tourism Committee and will last for four years, renewable for another four-year term.

Sectional Master Plan for Rilán An initiative like the ZOIT Action Plan can be very beneficial to trigger a new trend of development that is indeed based on sustainability goals.

Within this measure, there are two fundamental aspects contained in the ZOIT Action Plan identified in a SWOT analysis with direct influence over this exercise.

Sustainable land management The commune has four recognized UNESCO World Heritage Centre churches –including Rilán– and a diverse suite of nationally relevant tourist attractions like the palafitos (stilt houses) in Castro, its market, its artisanry, and its regional fairs, which attract visitors year-round. The public sector has recognized the importance of a sustainable management of the destination, which will require a Land Management Plan and new public infrastructure to take advantage of Castro’s scenic and cultural potential in a competitive way.

Strategic goals • distribute information about the Tourist Competitive Plan and promote local empowerment; • strengthen tools and documents that guide tourist management; • create an Intercommunal Tourist Development Master Plan for Chiloé.

Enabling public infrastructure Enhancing roads to access tourist attractions and scenic routes, provide more scenic outlooks, building docks for tourist vessels, develop coastal greenways with access to the coastline, create urban parks with universal access, and attract private investments, including more hotels.

Strategic goals • create and advance enabling tourist infrastructure development micro-plans for prioritary tourist destinations within the commune; • collaboratively build, with the other communes of Chiloé, an Enabling Public Infrastructure Master Plan that help develop the tourist destination sustainably.

28

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Conclusions & final considerations While the initial context of this exercise consisted of conducting a process to imagine possible development futures around an imminent real estate development boom and urban expansion on the Rilán Peninsula, with an impact on loss of open spaces, landscapes, and habitats, this exercise became strengthened by its focus on land-use integration in the context of existing regional and local strategic public planning objectives that are already in the pipeline, in tandem with community-driven visions for these futures. These objectives are in-line with the goals identified throughout our collaborative workshop (Fig. 4).

With the advancement of new and better national regulations and bylaws, now more focused on the environmental aspects of planning, design, and development, together with a timely opportunity to update and expand Castro’s Communal Land-use Plan, as well as a robust Communal Development Plan, in tandem with a well-planned and funded Tourist Interest Zone Action Plan, all very focused on sustainability, if taken seriously, the potential scenario for the Eastern Chiloe Wetlands seems promising.

However, the speed of private demand for developable land in Chiloé is growing at a pace that exceeds the speed of the planning processes that appear to be in the pipeline. Therefore, the perspectives and recommendations included in this report should be used to expedite the establishment of technical bridges with the regional and local agencies already working on new regulations. We see these as specific tools with the potential to permeate the official land and industry planning processes and strategic goals, to accelerate the adoption of a sustainable model that expands the possibility to balance development and conservation on the archipelago.

A higher private demand for land in the Chiloé is advancing counterclockwise concering the access to fresh water, which is directly associated with the degradation of critical ecosystems that are key in the hydric regime. The adaptive and regenerative role of public infrastructure is currently being discussed as part of Chile’s NDC12-based National Long Climate Term Strategy 2050, specifically on coastal zone adaptation –among other contexts– for the Paris Agreement goals to be achieved.

Although focusing on water dynamics as a driver for climate adaptation strategies and regional or local planning and development processes throughout the world is becoming more common, doing it on island territories like Chiloé is simply a must. This is not only a response to human security in anthropized territories, but also to the needs of all biodiversity including us– since we are together in the dependency on water. While currently this approach to planning is not the norm in Chile, nor Chiloé –and its coastal land and plain watersheds– and according to the General Water Authority at the Ministry of Public Works there have been no significant changes in the precipitation regime in the past fifty years in Chiloé, climate models project13 large changes in the terrestrial water balance for many regions during the 21st century, in response to carbon emissions –affecting 18 million people living on small islands scattered across the world ocean. While nearly 50% of the 80 island groups modeled are projected to experience increased rainfall –predominantly in the deep tropics– by 2050, 73% of these island groups (16 million people) are projected to exhibit drying conditions in just thirty years: according to this climate model, in Chile, the Juan Fernandez Islands and Easter Island show the most severe projected increases in aridity (aridity change index) by 2090, worldwide.

Due to its proximity to the mainland, the Island of Chiloé is not included in the aforementioned climate model, so its aridity change index (ACI) for 2050 or 2090 is not referenced and remains unknown. However critical ecosystem degradation is a key factor affecting its water regime, due to disturbances in its storage capacity.

12 13

Nationally Determined Contributions.

Future freshwater stress for island populations.

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Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Protecting coastal wetlands The most recent governmental assessment on coastal wetland vulnerability considers IPCC’s highemissions scenario RCP 8.5 to predict the impact of climate change at a regional level, and determine the risk associated with this phenomenon. According to this assessment, one conservative sea level rise scenario for 2100 in Chile predicts an increase of 20-30 cm along the coastal zone. It has been predicted that storm surges become more frequent and intense, with an average monthly sea-level increase of up to 5% for continental Chile14.

It is expected, then, that a great number of Chilean coastal wetlands disappear during the 21st century due to anthropogenic pressures and climate change. Sea-level rise, water availability, and the proliferation of invasive species can reduce the quantity and quality of coastal habitats, accelerating biodiversity loss. These dynamics could also cause changes that could possibly affect land-use patterns that increase risks for life and land property in the coastal zone. By 2045, it has been estimated that 46,357 people and 18,338 homes in Chile could be located in coastal flood zones15. The gradual relocation of these people away from this exposure –both on the continent and on island territories– and the method to make it possible, given the high risk they are facing, is a challenge that is yet to be addressed.

The conservation and restoration of coastal wetlands has been widely recognized as an efficient mitigation and adaptation strategy to climate change, including the Chilean coastal zone. These are also considered to have an important role as carbon sinks to reduce our footprint, helping achieve one of the new Nationally Determined Contribution that Chile has committed to, which is becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

Advancing tourism and sustainable development in tandem Sustainable tourism destinations are valued and increasingly demanded worldwide, especially within first world tourists. However, many locations that are branded as sustainable are, in essence, places with natural value –scenic and biological– that are less developed, while face many new and potential threats associated with ease of access in terms of transportation, demographic density increase, land-use changes, fragmentation of land ownership available for real estate development, industrial and production adaptations to new markets, etc.

The recognition of Chiloé as one of “2018’s Top 100 Green Destinations” worldwide, by Green Destinations, a German organization established in 2015 has been widely covered by the press and promoted by the tourism industry. While this yearly award has an undeniable international marketing value for the destination to increase visits and expenditure, it recognizes excellence in the primary aspects connected to the destination’s quality offer to travellers, as opposed to actual sustainable development indicators. In the long run, Chiloé needs a systemic approach to policy, not just market recognition, to secure the essence and the permanence of its natural and cultural value over the years.

Although the public sector has recognized the importance of carrying out sustainable management of the destination, announcing a Land Management Plan, and new public infrastructure to take advantage of Castro’s scenic and cultural potential in a competitive way, smallholdings and private real estate or “residential projects” are multiplying in rural Chiloé and, given that there is no focus on the public benefit or a vision for such accelerated development, the landscape is changing very quickly, affecting not only the coastal zone but the whole archipelago. Already in 2004, 78% of the landholdings in Castro were under 10 hectares in size. Sixteen years later, continual subdivision processes have increased the fragmentation of land ownership on the archipelago where, just within the sampled 14.5 km² area around the village of Rilán, 65.1% of the landholdings are between 5 and 10 hectares, and 7.3% are under 5 hectares.

Currently, the Ministry of National Assets estimates that only 1% of the Chilean territory is urban, while 53.7% of the territory is fiscal16, which is predominantly located in the extreme northern and southern 14

Cambio Climático en Chile: Ciencia, Mitigación y Adaptación.

Determinación del riesgo de los impactos del Cambio Climático en las costas de Chile.

16 http://www.bienesnacionales.cl/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/2012.11.05.-Seminario-borde-costero-Subse.pdf 15

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Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

continental regions. That land is under the administration of the Ministry of National Assets (including 21.1% of Protected Areas). The rest of the territory is defined as private and rural, and it is where a series of legal uncertainties are concentrated, due to the absence of zoning and land-use planning instruments with adequate degrees of specificity and equivalent to those available in urban areas. This condition is contrasted with Decree-Law 3516/1980 and Article 55 of the General City Planning Act, which forbids building and urbanizing in rural areas, regulations that at the same time leave the possibility of “making exceptions” to said prohibition, in quite undefined terms, giving space for the well-known "parcelas de agrado" and "loteos brujos", that is to say, informal rural settlements of second homes or simple rural half-hectare land subdivisions advertised as residential projects, with shared roads to access each lot.

4.90 Km

Rilán Wetland

4.25 Km

Legend > 10.0 hás [ # 88 | 27.6% ] 5.0-9.9 hás [ #207 | 65.1% ] < 4.9 hás [ # 23 | 7.3% ] Birdlife Resting Area Rilán Wetland Boundary

.50.

Rilán Wetland

.50.

SCALE BAR

Land holdings per size, based on IDE Chile – Ministry of National Assets [Referential]

0

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Figure 24 | Source: own elaboration

Technically and for the time being, the entire Rilán Peninsula is agricultural land with the absence of a legally binding framework to oblige the provision of public or community spaces as a requirement that equips its rururbanization process taking place in the area in an appropriate manner. From a human wellbeing standpoint, one of the largest threats to the cohesion of any community and their culture is not having access to public places for exchange and interaction with nature and other members of the community. This is also very important and pertinent in this exercise, considering the feedback that the community representatives shared during the collective value proposition phase of our collaborative workshop, which strongly focused on the importance of “providing new public spaces as a response to the loss of identity on the archipelago, that allows us to revalorize the Chiloense coastal landscape as a collective asset to be recognized and protected as an essential part of our culture. Not addressing this responsibility will result in the detriment of our ecosystem and our very social tissue.

Consolidating public spaces to strengthen our identity and offering self-education opportunities is an appropriate way to address the rich diversity of people currently living in Chiloé, enabling inclusive recreational interests like bird observation, sports, and other activities and experiences that promote interaction and exchange among community members”17 17

Juan Fernando Yañez, President of the Chiloé Chapter for the Chilean National Institute of Architects during the collaborative workshop at Ocio Territorial Hotel, on September 13th, 2019.

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Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula

Figure 25 | Collective value proposition phase during the collaborative workshop in Rilán

Integrated planning for sustainable development The systemic combination of all previously explained variables, aspirations, constraints, trends, and public plans will facilitate the sustainable development scenario that the community anticipated during our collaborative workshop to integrate the different land-use patterns in the Rilán Peninsula. To reiterate, these sustainable development principles include: a. b. c. d. e.

resiliency and climate-proofing for development18 human security, health, equity and wellbeing environmental health biocultural permanence economic prosperity

The work that was developed during this exercise depicts a strategy to integrate the fundamental functions of the ecosystems in the planning and design process in a way that is not being steered at the moment in Chiloé. We expect that this document serves as a basis that informs the future Communal Land-use Plan that the Municipality of Castro has the intention to develop as a fourth full-version, going beyond the partial amendment process currently in the works. The urbanization of rural areas is usually perceived as a threat to their character, however, through an appropriate integrated planning process not only can the character be preserved, but it can also be enhanced and protected as a fundamental asset that ensures the process of ‘building an inclusive community focused on the need to strengthen and promote a balanced development of the communal district, respecting identity, natural resources, traditions, culture and community involvement’, as the current PLADECO states, at least in written.

The opportunity to establish local regeneration, planning and design policies and guidance has the potential to become the foundation of Chiloé’s sustainable future. A development capable of balancing shorebird conservation with other land use activities. We look forward it.

18

Concept coined by the Asian Development Bank, 2005. Quoted by UNDP, 2010.

32

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula 4.90 Km

Additional Buffer Boundary

Additional Buffer Boundary Rilán Wetland

4.25 Km

Legend

Area with Epansion Potential

Wetland Area 15m Additional Wetland Buffer 30m Regulated Wetland Buffer 70m Fixed Wetland Buffer 15m Fixed Stream Buffer

Area with Epansion Potential

Rilán Wetland Additional Buffer Boundary

Expansion Potential Water Stream Birdlife Resting Area Rilán Wetland Boundary

Additional Buffer Boundary

SCALE BAR

Proposed Setbacks + Buffer Areas - Wetlands and Water Streams + Expansion Potential

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Figure 26 | Source: own elaboration 4.90 Km

Additional Buffer Boundary

Additional Buffer Boundary

Rilán Wetland

4.25 Km

Legend

Area with Epansion Potential

Wetland Area 15m Additional Wetland Buffer 30m Regulated Wetland Buffer 70m Fixed Wetland Buffer 15m Fixed Stream Buffer

Area with Epansion Potential

Rilán Wetland Additional Buffer Boundary

Expansion Potential Water Stream Birdlife Resting Area Rilán Wetland Boundary

Additional Buffer Boundary

Land Below Safety Elevation or Tsunami Inundation Risk Zone

SCALE BAR

Proposed Setbacks + Buffer Areas - Wetlands and Water Streams + Expansion Potential

0

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Figure 27 | Source: own elaboration 33

Land Conservation Initiative, Part III - Coastal Land and Plain Watersheds Planning in the Rilán Peninsula 4.90 Km

Additional Buffer Boundary

Additional Buffer Boundary Rilán Wetland

4.25 Km

Legend

Area with Epansion Potential

Wetland Area 15m Additional Wetland Buffer 30m Regulated Wetland Buffer 70m Fixed Wetland Buffer 15m Fixed Stream Buffer

Area with Epansion Potential

Rilán Wetland Additional Buffer Boundary

Expansion Units Expansion Potential Water Stream Birdlife Resting Area Rilán Wetland Boundary

Additional Buffer Boundary

Land Below Safety Elevation or Tsunami Inundation Risk Zone

SCALE BAR

Proposed Setbacks + Buffer Areas - Wetlands and Water Streams + Expansion Potential

0

250

500

1000

Figure 28 | Source: own elaboration 4.90 Km

Additional Buffer Boundary

Additional Buffer Boundary Rilán Wetland

4.25 Km

Legend

Area with Epansion Potential

Wetland Area 15m Additional Wetland Buffer 30m Regulated Wetland Buffer 70m Fixed Wetland Buffer 15m Fixed Stream Buffer

Area with Epansion Potential

Rilán Wetland Additional Buffer Boundary

Expansion Units Expansion Potential Water Stream Birdlife Resting Area Rilán Wetland Boundary

Additional Buffer Boundary

Land Below Safety Elevation or Tsunami Inundation Risk Zone Tree Canopy Coverage Area SCALE BAR

Proposed Setbacks + Buffer Areas - Wetlands and Water Streams + Expansion Potential + Tree Canopy

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Figure 29 | Source: own elaboration 34

Š 2020 Global Nomad

Paper from responsible sources.