Environmental Organization Raises Alarm Over the Disappearance of 539 Wetlands: New National Inventory Under Scrutiny

Original article: Organización socioambiental denuncia la “desaparición de 539 humedales”: Cuestionan nuevo inventario nacional del registro estatal de Medio Ambiente

Environmental Organization Raises Alarm Over the Disappearance of 539 Wetlands and Warns of «The Heist of the Century»

Reference images. Internet archive.

The Aconcagua Socio-Environmental Coordinator has reported that during their regular research activities, they discovered the disappearance of 539 wetlands listed in the national inventory of the Biodiversity Information and Monitoring System (SIMBIO), managed by the Ministry of the Environment (MMA). According to their statement, only 1,461 of the 2,000 wetlands previously recorded on the SIMBIO platform were confirmed to exist after verification.

The organization has labeled the situation as «extremely serious,» stating that «we may be witnessing the heist of the century.» They warned that this action would adversely impact «numerous communities, rural drinking water systems, subsistence agriculture [and] climate change mitigation, among others.» They are currently conducting a comparative cartographic analysis to determine which regions and municipalities are affected by the removed wetlands.

In their statement, the Coordinator contextualized the gravity of the situation by recalling that the national wetlands inventory is intended to be integrated into the forthcoming SBAP Law (Law Creating the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service). They pointed out that Article 41 of this law «prohibits the physical alteration of wetlands classified as priority sites.» For the organization, the loss of these records represents a significant setback before the law is enacted, raising «reasonable suspicions of pressures from the same economic groups to dismantle the law, in collusion with the Ministry of the Environment.»

Finally, the Aconcagua Socio-Environmental Coordinator demands «an immediate clarification for this loss of natural heritage that belongs to all inhabitants» and urges «all socio-environmental organizations to defend the wetlands,» condemning the actions of the MMA as «unacceptable.» They announced that they will soon provide more information on the case.

View this post on Instagram: