The Araucanía region of Chile, the ancestral homeland of the Mapuche people, is a land of extraordinary natural beauty and cultural richness. It is also a region under severe ecological stress. Despite abundant rainfall, rivers and lakes are chronically contaminated due to the absence of proper wastewater treatment. This water crisis threatens health, biodiversity, and local economies alike.
In recent years, emergencies such as the contamination of Lake Budi and the algal blooms in Lake Villarrica have revealed the scale of the problem. For the communities of Araucanía—whose lives are inseparably tied to the land and water—the challenge is urgent and personal.
A Region of Global Importance
Araucanía is part of the Valdivian Rainforest ecoregion, one of the world’s great biodiversity hotspots. Its ancient forests host unique species found nowhere else, while also offering resources for sustainable local economies: timber from fast-growing native species, nutritious wild foods like mushrooms and piñones (the seeds of the sacred Araucaria tree), and plants with traditional medicinal uses.
The Mapuche people, who have resisted centuries of land grabbing and extractive industries, remain the primary guardians of this heritage. Their language, Mapudungün, and their worldview centered on Mapu Ñuke (Mother Earth) embody a philosophy of coexistence that modern societies urgently need.
Ecoescuela Koyam: Education Rooted in Nature and Culture
At the heart of this movement is Ecoescuela Koyam, an innovative educational space in Cunco Chico. More than a school, it is a community hub where children, families, and teachers come together to learn by doing: native tree propagation, beekeeping, recycling, and sustainable gardening. The school’s pedagogy is grounded in cultural respect, equality, and responsibility.
Now, Ecoescuela Koyam is taking a bold step forward: becoming a center for participatory ecological sanitation and water stewardship.
The Project: Composting Toilets and Beyond
The initiative begins with a simple yet transformative idea: composting toilets. Built using traditional Mapuche techniques—such as willow-and-clay walls and roofs from endemic reeds—the toilets are low-impact, biodegradable, and culturally meaningful. They demonstrate how ancestral knowledge can address modern challenges in a sustainable way.
But this is only the beginning. The project follows a phased approach:
- Phase 1: Community Co-Design – Workshops bring together local residents, scientists, and craftspeople to map knowledge, identify priorities, and design solutions.
- Phase 2: Pilot Composting Toilet & Education – A hands-on demonstration that doubles as a teaching tool for students and families.
- Phase 3: Nature-Based Solutions & Citizen Science – Building a small-scale constructed wetland as a wastewater treatment model, and training volunteers in water quality monitoring to generate community-led data and long-term vigilance.
Why It Matters
This project is more than infrastructure. It is about empowerment, cultural preservation, and resilience. By integrating sustainable sanitation, ecological education, and citizen science, it creates a replicable model of community-led action.
It is also a bridge between worlds: between ancestral wisdom and modern science, between local needs and global environmental challenges. Araucanía’s experience can inspire similar initiatives across Latin America and beyond.
A Collective Effort
The project is led by a diverse team:
- Jorge Huichalaf Díaz, teacher at Ecoescuela Koyam and director of the Mapuche cooperative Kume Mogen.
- Anna Depetris, PhD, microbiologist specializing in community-focused environmental solutions.
- Aldo Zanetti, expert craftsman in sustainable building and composting toilets.
Together with the community, they are weaving knowledge, culture, and practice into a living example of sustainability.
Looking Ahead
As Araucanía faces the twin pressures of environmental degradation and climate change, the path forward lies not in top-down interventions but in empowering local communities. Ecoescuela Koyam’s participatory sanitation and water stewardship project shows how education, culture, and ecological solutions can converge to protect water, land, and life.
In supporting such grassroots initiatives, we invest not only in cleaner rivers and healthier ecosystems but also in a resilient future where communities are the stewards of their own destiny.
This initiative is supported by the Ecosur Network, strengthening its potential to inspire and connect with other ecological projects across Latin America.
If you want to support this initiative, follow the link below.
https://banoscomposteros-ecoescuelakoyam.crd.co/#eng