This project is restoring native flora on the Mapocho River, including the indigenous mother plant

The Mapocho Vivo Foundation has started an important reforestation project to restore the native flora on the banks of the Mapocho riverin Chile. Among the reintroduced plants, there is the nalca (Gunnera tinctoria), a native species with imposing leaves that can reach up to four meters in height.

Also known as pangue, it is the mother plant of the indigenous people and is typical of Chilean temperate rainforestswhere it had a central role in Mapuche-Pehuenche culture and traditional medicine, thanks to its therapeutic properties for stomach disorders, fever, respiratory infections and urinary tract problems.

This project was born after the foundation’s volunteers identified some specimens of nalca during an expedition, realizing that in the past it was a common presence in the urban areas of the river. Driven by the desire to restore the original appearance of the Mapocho, the volunteers have collected seeds of this plant to encourage its propagation.

Other local species that had disappeared from the river have also been reintroduced

Currently, reforestation is concentrated in the municipalities of Renca and Peñaflor, with the long-term objective of cover all sixteen municipalities crossed by the rivermaking the Mapocho a lush and diverse urban wetland.

The director of the foundation, Joaquín Moure, underlined the ecological importance of nalca, which not only contributes to the food chain, but creates habitat for insects and small animalsas well as providing fruits that attract birds and reptiles.

His dream is see the river rebornwith vibrant green hues and the rich variety of native Chilean flora. This project, in addition to preserving the original plants, represents an invitation to the local community to know and respect native speciesavoiding uprooting them.

In addition to the nalca, the project has reintroduced other local species that have disappeared from the river, including the chilco, the totora, the culén and the foxtail. These are plants that in the past were part of the Mapocho riparian ecosystem and which today are present only in the neighboring mountainous areas. The foundation collaborates with nurserymen and landscape specialists to encourage the reproduction of these species and restore natural balance to the area, protecting local biodiversity.

The Mapocho Vivo reforestation project therefore represents an initiative of ecological and cultural regeneration which seeks to bring Chile’s iconic plants back to life, contributing to the well-being of the river ecosystem and raising environmental awareness among the population. Something to take example from and imitate in other countries too!