Reforestation of 700 hectares of native species with the Faculty of Forest Sciences of the University of Concepción

To prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems around the world, the United Nations has declared that this year 2021 begins the Decade for Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030). This globally coordinated response to habitat loss and degradation will focus on developing the political will and capacity to restore human relationships with nature.

Enel is not exempt from this great challenge, given that its developing Reforestation and Ecological Restoration Projects with native trees, as part of the compensation measures established in the Resolution of Environmental Qualification of the Ralco Hydroelectric Power Plant, through signed scientific collaboration agreements since 2015 with the University of Concepción. In this sense, various actions are being carried out that seek to recover 632.92 hectares of forest only with native species, specifically oak, raulí and coihue, in addition to the ecological restoration of 67.5 hectares with protected species of guindo santo, cypress of the mountain range and lleuque.

During 2021, the reforestation of 632.92 hectares was completed, in which more than 2 million native trees have been planted, thus becoming the largest reforestation with native species in the country with oak, raulí and coihue.

Ecological Restoration is based on a work system that ensures the recovery of the habitat and therefore increases the possibilities of continuity of these protected species, whose environmental requirements demand a more specific work methodology, which seek to recreate the ecological attributes of the ecosystem in which these species develop and contribute to the increase of native forest areas in Chile and especially to the recovery of degraded native forests with the presence of protected species.

During 2020, the project began with the ecological restoration of 9.5 hectares and between 2021 and 2022 the remaining 58 hectares will be executed, being Enel pioneers in Chile in ecologically restoring with these species (Guindo Santo, Ciprés de la Cordillera and Lleuque).

These agreements have not only contributed through the materialization of reforestation and restoration, but have also allowed the execution of a reforestation and restoration experience through a collaboration model, which incorporates owners interested in forest conservation and, therefore, willing to develop these plantations on their properties. Likewise, it considered a line of scientific research developed by the University in reforested lands, mainly oriented to the evaluation of the recovery of ecosystem services through reforestation with native species, allowing the execution of undergraduate and graduate dissertations in the different action lines of the project.