Peatlands as Key Ecosystems for Water Provision on Chiloé Island (Southern Chile): Social-Ecological Issues

In this article, we analyze the perceptions of rural social actors and experts on the peatlands of Chiloé Island, a Chilean epigenic system with low hills. We used a social-ecological survey ( N = 228), structured interviews ( N = 8), and an economic valuation of the ecosystem service of drinking water in the Quemchi commune (municipality) to answer whether the rural population still values peatlands in Chiloé. Results show a South to North gradient on increasing loss in peatlands surface. Rural people showed low direct use of peatland services, and few of them have noticed areal changes. Experts agreed that local people do not have enough education and knowledge about peatlands. The economic valuation showed that although peatlands could cover between 5 and 27% of the water needed for Quemchi, only 1.9% of its rural population uses this water source and no other communes. We discuss results regarding current peatlands policies in Chile and the need to transfer knowledge to local communities.