Original article: Bassa responde a Kast por humedales: “Hay una estrategia para ridiculizar la protección del medioambiente” funcional a intereses inmobiliarios
Jaime Bassa, a member of the Environmental Commission, responded to statements made by President José Antonio Kast, who questioned the size of the Rocuant-Andalién wetland, asking if the country needs «a 1,500-hectare wetland that no one uses» and suggested that his comments serve the interests of protecting private, mainly real estate, investments.
«This is not ignorance; there is a strategy to ridicule environmental protection that caters to the safeguarding of private interests, mainly linked to real estate, and we will not yield on this,» he stated in a video shared on his social media channels.
The controversy stems from an administrative gap that has left the effective protection of wetlands in limbo. According to a communication from the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service (SBAP) dated August 12, until the wetland inventory required by Article 39 of Law N° 21.600 is completed, it is not possible to determine which ecosystems fall under the authorization regime of Article 41. This implies that there is currently no administrative procedure in place to process the necessary permits for physical alterations to these lands, creating a scenario of legal uncertainty that, according to Bassa, opens the door to commercial exploitation.
Consequently, he announced he had contacted the National Comptroller’s Office, the Ministry of the Environment, and the SBAP to clarify the findings that reveal permits stipulated in Article 41 of Law N° 21.600 for certain physical alterations of wetlands may not be currently processed.
The deputy from District 7 emphatically emphasized that the President’s statements are not simply due to ignorance. «The President just said that wetlands are lands that no one uses, and I refuse to believe this is merely an act of ignorance. He cannot be unaware of the fundamental environmental functions they serve, which the State is obligated to protect. In light of his remarks and the information we have regarding the application of Law N° 21.600, we are here to demand compliance with the necessary administrative guarantees for the effective protection of wetlands,» he asserted.
The legislator emphasized that delays in implementing regulations cannot be employed as a mechanism to facilitate the intervention and exploitation of these lands, and therefore, his communication demands that authorities inform on the timelines and interim measures to safeguard these ecosystems while the inventory is completed.
In his request, Bassa asked the Comptroller to determine whether the SBAP’s decision not to process permits is legally justified and whether it is acceptable to temporarily use the National Wetland Inventory already held by the Ministry of the Environment.
«We also want the Ministry and the Service to explain what they are doing while the new inventory is being implemented, because environmental protection cannot be suspended for administrative reasons,» he stressed.
The parliamentarian further asserted, «This is not ignorance; there is a strategy to ridicule environmental protection that serves to safeguard private interests, mainly related to real estate, and we will not cede any ground here,» he concluded.
This oversight aims specifically for the Ministry and the SBAP to detail the progress of the new tool and «clarify what interim mechanisms and enforcement measures will be adopted to protect wetlands while this process is completed.»
Bassa’s communication not only highlights the lack of procedures, but it is also set against a backdrop where environmental protection is under threat from private interests endorsed by Kast’s administration.
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