Starting May 2 and for a period of three months, the slopes of the Andrés Bello Campus will be intervened for reforestation. With this, progress is made in the improvement and maintenance of the university space, with a view to environmental responsibility and sustainability.

During these weeks, the university community has witnessed the cleaning work on the western slope of the Andrés Bello Campus, an action that is part of the institutional desire to properly maintain the campuses to promote the configuration of a comfortable and safe habitat for its members. .

In this way, already in 2018, the first land clearing works were carried out in the sector surrounding the kindergarten, now advancing towards the sector adjacent to Avenida Raúl Bitrán to the sector of the pedestrian stairs of the campus.

The project has required the coordination of different units of the central administration that, at the request of Rector Nibaldo Avilés, have launched a task team to advance this commitment to reforestation, which is also part of the actions committed to in the Plan. of ULS Strategic Development 2016-2020.

Taking advantage of the motivation and knowledge of the academic of the Department of Biology, Dr. Cristian Ibáñez, who also serves as Director of Postgraduate and Postgraduate Studies, the University entrusted him with the mission of coordinating the work that, these days, is being carried out.

We spoke with him to find out details of what ULS projects in this space on the Andrés Bello Campus.

Why is the ULS working on the slope of the Andrés Bello Campus?

Reforesting the slopes of the campus, incorporating native and other non-native species that follow the concept of low water requirement and high landscape value, is an institutional desire that we hope will be appreciated by the university community, whom we need so much to understand the inconveniences that They could generate jobs, such as for the permanent care of the spaces that we recover.

What work is being done?

Dry vegetation is being removed and the land on the west slope of the campus is being prepared to begin reforestation. We seek to green and beautify this space on campus and help it become a green lung for the University and the city.

To carry out this work, we have added the experience of professionals specializing in the matter, in order to guarantee that reforestation is carried out with a view to sustainability.

In the coming weeks, the cleaning work will intensify, including the use of a mini backhoe to remove debris and move stones and boulders.

What has been the reaction of the community that passes through the sector?

It has caused curiosity and that is why we are making an extra effort to communicate what is taking place. It is important that our university community knows that cleaning is the initial phase of a reforestation project. In this phase, plant material is collected, debris is removed and organic material is generated. All in order to prepare the land to begin the planting of plant species and the installation of its irrigation system.

Once the cleaning of this sector is completed, what next?

In the same sector, the area is organized, moving stones, delimiting paths and carrying out works that improve water use. Once that is completed, the planting itself begins.  

Was work of this type also carried out last year? 

Indeed, during the second half of 2018, the eastern slope, adjacent to the ULS Children's Garden, was cleaned, removing all dry vegetation. Subsequently, an irrigation system was installed and then a planting of native trees was carried out, with the help of the Environmental Secretariat of the Federation of Students (FEULS).

How can the ULS community help these works last over time?

The main thing is that each of us values ​​the institutional commitment to keeping our campuses in good condition and permanently working on their maintenance and improvement. Especially in times where extreme climatic phenomena are becoming more frequent, such as intense rains in short intervals of time that accelerate soil erosion, or extremes of heat that irreversibly dry or freeze plants. Therefore, having a reforested hillside will help to install what we call ecological landscaping, characterized by the fact that the design of this green space adapts to the natural environment, taking into consideration aspects such as soil, climate, availability of water and orientation, to choose the plants most appropriate to the natural biological environment.

The best help we can expect from the community is understanding in the work phases, voluntary support to join seed collection actions, plant propagation or plantations, and then help take care of what we have built together.