Parque Urbano el Bosque

Parque Urbano el Bosque is a 13-ha forest and 30-acre wetland in the heart of Valdivia, Chile. Socovesa, a real estate developer and builder, owns the park. In the 1850s and 1860s, the land was logged and used for agriculture. The German family sold the land in the 1980s to Universidad Austral. Socovesa purchased the land in 2000 for development. They developed the land around the park but left an oasis to enhance community relations.





Comite Ecologica Lamu Lahuen administers the park with three main goals:
- cultural activities and education
- recycling
- ecological restoration


Concerts and other cultural events are held in the park´s amphitheater. Area high school pupils and college students work weekends in the park and learn about conservation. The park serves as the area´s recycling dropoff point. The entrance fee is waived for anyone who drops off recyclables, which are later hauled 800 km to Santiago for processing.


The park supports some 3000 different plants. Endemic trees and other plants are propagated in an onsite greenhouse for use within the park. Predominant natives include the Nothofagus obliqua -- a shade-intolerant tree that can grow 50 m high and live 600 years.

Olivillo {Aexioxicion punciaium} is a salt-tolerant, slow-growing tree used in furniture, barrel-making and flooring. The bark of the Persea lingue -- a laurel related to the avocado -- is used in Valdivia´s leather industry. The canelo {Drimys winteri} thrives in the wetland. Sacred to the indigeneous Mapuche, it bears spicy black berries.



The park´s future is uncertain. Socovesa is under no obligation to leave it undeveloped. Comite Ecologico is working with the company to develop a legal conservation agreement that would preserve this biodiverse urban habitat in perpetuity.