Churches of Chiloé

• Insufficient delimitation of boundaries
• Construction of a shopping mall in the vicinity of the Castro Church
• Insufficient legal definition of buffer zones and visually sensitive areas of each component 
• Commercial development
• Effects arising from use of transportation infrastructure
• Legal framework
• Management activities
• Management systems/ management plan

On 2 December 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report. An executive summary of this report is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/971/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in that report, as follows:

• The “Comprehensive Plan for the Protection of the Churches Environments'' aims to protect and regulate the environments of the 16 components of the property as “Typical Zones”, based on participatory work with local governments and communities, and its posterior submission to the World Heritage Committee as Minor Boundary Modifications:
• The designation of Aldachildo and Castro is complete and Minor Boundary Modification requests will be submitted before February 2024,
• The designation of Achao, Rilán and Dalcahue are expected to conclude in 2023,
• Caguach's protection process was halted due the community’s request to prioritise the restoration of the church,
• After completing the processes of all 16 components, the buffer zones of Chonchi and Tenaún will be reviewed as requested by the Committee,
• Expansion of the buffer zones of Quinchoa and San Juan, is considered unfeasible due to local conditions,
• Intervention guidelines for Ichuac, Detif and Aldachildo have been completed. The guidelines for Castro should be finalized during the first half of 2023;
• The “Cuidemos Chiloe Plan”, consists of government measures which seek to promote tourism and social, cultural, economic progress within the communities. The Provincial Technical Office will be strengthened, and through the recent Resolution nº805, will be given authority to approve minor maintenance / repair work;
• The development of the “Integrated Management Plan” (IMP) is ongoing. A 2nd technical assistance organized an online workshop and defined a strategy for participatory work. A 3rd technical assistance aimed to coordinate boards in the communes of Puqueldón, Chonchi and Quinchao;
• Conservation actions are ongoing for the Churches of San Juan, Ichuac, Detif, Chonchi and Caguach;
• Delays were experienced on the “Castro By-pass Project”, due to safeguarding works for archaeological findings and the bankruptcy of the company in charge of the work;
• The “Inventory of Religious Imagery” of the churches on the property has been finalized;
• The “Risk Management Plan” is in progress with actions addressing fires, including a “Community Plan for the Prevention of Fire Risks” and electrical standardization of the churches;
• Other reported issues are the “Enhancement of the Identity and Cultural Heritage Project” for Quinchao, the “Integrated Territorial Program” (a promotion of sustainable productive development for the components of the site), the ‘Public Areas Program” which addressed Chonchis’ main square among others, and the Small Towns Program in Chonchi;
• To date no mitigation measures have been implemented at the Castro shopping mall. Intentions to expand the mall were reported but no advances were made concerning the architectural competition for the design of mitigation measures. The State Party intends to advance in the modification of the “Communal Regulatory Plan” to regulate the urban volumetry around the church.

The ‘Comprehensive Plan for the Protection of the Churches Environments’, is being developed with participation from local governments and the community. Aldachildo and Castro have been declared as Typical Zones. Four other components are pending finalization, including Achao, Rilán, Dalcahue and Caguach, which has halted its progress due the community’s request to prioritise the restoration of the church first. The State Party should conclude the protection process of the buffer zone for all components, complete the “Intervention Guidelines for all Typical Zones”, and submit it for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.

Implementation of the IMP is in progress. The online workshop entitled “Enhancing our Heritage”, highlighted important issues, such as the absence of communities and local governments (municipalities), and the need to include direct managers. Otherwise, the IMP should consider the commune scale and the property as a whole, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. The provision of Technical Assistance was an important support which helped to achieve commitment from managers and other stakeholders. A new form of governance and consensual decision-making appears to be gradually coming together. It is expected that an updated version of the IMP should be prepared and submitted for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.

The conservation initiatives in four churches and the conclusion of the “Inventory of Religious Imagery” of the property’s churches, is to be welcomed. The execution of the Castro by-pass needs to be addressed and concluded. A “Community Fire Risk Prevention Plan” was developed and addresses emergency actions. The “Risk Management Plan” still needs to be concluded and then submitted for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.

As the expansion of the Castro shopping mall is intended, it is welcomed that the State Party expedited the decree for the designation of its Typical Zone. However, it is noted with great regret that the Typical Zone was significantly reduced in size compared to the area recommended by the ICOMOS’ Technical Review. It is a reason of deep concern that since the 2013 Reactive Monitoring mission, there were no advances on corrective measures regarding the shopping mall in Castro, and that the effective protection of the wider setting of the component continues to be fragile.

There remains an urgent need for mitigation measures to be undertaken on the form of the mall, the protection of the surrounding areas, including expansion of the Typical Zone, and for details of designs and measures to be submitted for review by the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies, prior to their implementation. Meanwhile the actual threat to Outstanding Universal Value caused by the construction of the shopping mall persists.