The creation of a peri-urban park in the Llancahue watershed strives to be holistic in its management of ecosystem services and meet the needs of the local community in its conservation plan.

The Chilean government and the University Austral of Chile (UACH) decided that the Llancahue watershed, southeast of Valdivia (pop. 140,000), should be developed into a peri-urban park. 

Peri-urban parks are protected areas that exist on the fringe of urban areas. They provide a variety of socio-economic and conservation goals including biodiversity conservation, the provision of ecosystem services, cultural heritage protection, and recreation opportunities. Current thinking on the planning of protected areas, including peri-urban parks, suggests using community-based conservation techniques to engage the local community starting with the design process will improve protected area management.

The UACH is interested in developing a plan for a peri-urban park in the Llancahue watershed that will 1) increase farming productivity of the bordering campesino community and engage them in management, restoration and ecotourism activities in Llancahue, 2) improve the conservation status and biodiversity of the watershed, and 3) improve water yields of the watershed through restoration activities.  Due to this mix of socioeconomic and conservation goals, the Llancahue watershed is an excellent location to test the effectiveness of community-based conservation techniques during the design process.  The purpose of Michelle Moorman’s research is to work with the local community and local institutions to help the university design an effective plan for the Llancahue peri-urban park.