The salt farming tradition is a cultural and productive practice linked to the ancestral craft of producing sea salt using artisanal techniques passed down through generations. In 2011, the salt workers of Cáhuil were recognized as Living Human Treasures by the State of Chile and UNESCO. However, this heritage now faces a critical situation: since approximately 2016, an artificial increase in the flow of the Nilahue stream has been recorded during the dry season, associated with the operation of the Convento Viejo II reservoir. This has reduced salinity below the levels necessary for salt production, flooded the salt flats at unusual times, and triggered a chain of effects on the ecosystem's biodiversity. This process of progressive degradation threatens both the ecological balance of the stream and the continuity of an internationally recognized cultural practice.
The objective
To recognize and make visible the environmental knowledge developed by the salt-producing communities of the Nilahue estuary through a participatory process of environmental observation, long-term community environmental monitoring, community documentation and collective artistic creation, highlighting the socio-environmental transformations that threaten the continuity of the salt-producing trade and this intangible cultural heritage.
The team includes Vicky Acosta Mesías and Caduddzzi Salas Vera.
