Abstract

Wetlands represent a transition between a terrestrial and aquatic environment, becoming one of the most important natural systems due to their multiple functions. However, despite their importance, they represent one of the most vulnerable ecosystems. The wetlands of the coast of the Coquimbo Region, Chile, form a dynamic system with a large presence of biodiversity in an area with semi-arid predominance. In this context, it is important to approach a greater knowledge of these systems to promote their conservation and/or restoration, educational experiences being a fundamental tool. Objective: to determine how the future of "El Culebrón"wetland is perceived by middle school students, through the development of qualitative scenarios. Materials and methods: A set of scenarios was initially generated from a 10-year projection, which were reinterpreted using NVIVO9 software. Results: the analysis allowed to differentiate four scenarios: "social responsibility", "climate change", "natural growth"and "urbanization". Conclusions: a threatening future of wetlands can be inferred from the perspective perceived by students due to the interaction of indirect drivers of change, among which natural elements (climate change and extreme events), demographic elements (urbanization) and cultural changes (poor or insufficient environmental awareness) stand out.