Former senator and minister during President Sebastián Piñera’s government, Pablo Longueira, announced the creation of a large-scale corporate touristic project over South Icefields in the Chilean Patagonia. His interest came up because Argentina carries out visits to these ice bodies by tourist companies’ itineraries. The politician expressed that these visits cause foreign sovereignty in our national territory.
Longueira was the promoter of the Fisheries Law in Sebastián Piñera’s government, which is currently processing nullity in Congress because of its illicit origin. We remember that two parliamentarians, Senator Jaime Orpis and Deputy Marta Isasi, were sentenced for corruption charges according to the judicial action. The members of Congress were bribed by Corpesca (a consolidated global producer of fishmeal and fish oil from marine resources) to represent the law project that directly benefits the company.
As it has become known, the future tourist project called “Villa Los Glaciares” [Glaciers Village] would be arranged within 90 hectares in the limit of Chico Lake, in O’Higgins commune, Aysen region, to attract tourism to the Chico glacier. The project involves the construction of a residential complex, a jetty, a hydroelectric plant (able to produce the same energy currently used in the whole town), an airfield, and an intervention in Bernardo O’Higgins National Park. The main investors would be Longueira, Roberto Recabal Cárcamo, who was the Mayor of the commune already mentioned, and construction company Ebco (dedicated to urbanization works), Tecnofast (dedicated to renting, selling, and manufacturing spaces), and Copec-Voltex (a filling station network focused to electric cars) by participating and intervening according to the local press.
The project has already been rejected by 16 local organizations, such as the Cámara de Turismo y Comercio de Villa O’Higgins [Villa O’Higgins Chamber of Tourism and Commerce], Cámara de Turismo y Servicios de Tortel [Tortel Chamber of Services and Tourism], among others associated to the Corporación Provincial Los Glaciares [Los Glaciares Provincial Corporation]. Due to this, and in conversation with Andrea Rosas, commune’s Social Leader and Tourism associate’s degree, she expressed to our foundation the worry about the impact on local glaciers, especially the periglacial environment since the residential complex, the airfield, and the jetty will be indeed settled in this place.
In addition, local citizens are concerned about how important economic powers and political influences are in getting permissions and accreditations that they have been processing with the government for decades to no avail, without mentioning the lack of citizens’ inquiry to make decisions. Andrea says that Longueira’s chauvinistic complaint is not such because Argentinian tourists don’t enter Chilean territory illegally and don’t have an interest in sovereignty. She clarified that this is part of the permanent communication between both nations, also regulated by international agreements. Thereon, “people, nor investors make real sovereignty”, she concluded.
If the project is implemented, it must be submitted to the Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEAI by its Spanish initials) through the Environmental Impact Study (EIA by its Spanish acronym). This project raises our organization’s attention because the approbation of these types of projects made by Environmental Qualification Resolution implies predominantly a political decision as it originates from the Comisión de Evaluación Regional [Regional Assessment Commission], which is headed by the presidential deputy and integrated by SEREMIs (regional authorities), according to Law N°19,300 Bases of the Environment.
To Fundación Glaciares Chilenos, this project isn’t superficial. This has specific importance because we have been waiting, for almost two decades, for the ruling political class to protect our glaciers legally. However, they approve large-scale tourist projects created by economic political alliances and validated by environmental decisions depending on the government’s economic trend, by distancing from nature’s protection as many other times we have seen in the past.
References:
- “Glacier Local Commission rejection about the real-state project in South Icefield belonging to Pablo Longueira,” La Voz de los que Sobran (local press). Link.
- Regional and Administrative Development Undersecretary. Link.
- “The “patriotic” project of Longueira that threatens the South Icefield”. Popurrí prensa. (local press). Link.
- “The Pablo Longueira history, the one still accused of bribery that wants to draft a new Constitution” La Voz de los que Sobran (local press). Link.
- “Joint Commission on Constitución and Fishery cancels Longueiras’ Law”, Radio Universal de Chile (local press). Link.
- “What is Fishery Law about? Everything you need to know about the controversial initiative” Bio Bio Chile (local press). Link.
- “Release of Villa O’Higgins organizations due to the property-tourist project in Los Glaciares Village”. Link.
Featured Image:
- Referential location of the “Los Glaciares Village” project, O’Higgins Lake, Villa O’Higgins, Aysén region. ©armando.degiacomo
