Chile community beats drought by restoring forests, soil and watershed

A rural community on Chile's Chiloe Island restored its water supply by protecting a watershed, planting native trees like ulmo, coihue, canelo, luma and arrayan, and rebuilding soil.

Before the project, 64% of households depended partly on emergency water tanker trucks, and 37% relied solely on tanker deliveries for six months or more.

The community mapped 36 microcatchments, planted over 500 native trees, and dug infiltration trenches to improve water retention and steady stream flow.

The project involved residents, researchers, and landowners, and has maintained a reliable water supply for nearly seven years.

The approach, developed with Chile's Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, is now presented as a model for other rural communities facing water shortages.