In celebration of the International Mountain Day and to highlight the urgent protection of the entire 142,000 hectares of public land in the Río Colorado area of Cajón del Maipo, the documentary “Queremos Parque: un documental sobre la lucha por la protección de las últimas tierras públicas de la zona central de Chile” (in English “We Want Park: A documentary on the fight for the last public lands protection in central Chile”) has been released, directed by Víctor Leyton. This production showcases the majesty of the valleys of the Colorado and Olivares rivers in Cajón del Maipo and will premiere today, Sunday 11th, on the campaign’s YouTube channel. This documentary recently won the award for Best Film at the Santiago Mountain Film Festival 2022.
In a challenging scenario of global habitat degradation, it’s urgent to advance on the protection of these public lands to safeguard their biodiversity: their nearly 20,000 hectares of glaciers (the main freshwater reserve of the Metropolitana region), as well as to preserve the herding culture and promote sustainable tourism development that ensures public access for all Chileans. This could become one of the major tourist attractions in Santiago and the whole country.
Today, only 1% of the Metropolitana region territory is under official protection. Therefore, designating these 142,000 hectares of public land as a protected area would be a significant advance in environmental justice for all residents of the region. Also, it would be essential for the safeguarding of 430 species of flora and 135 species of fauna in one of the 25 most biodiverse areas in the world, many of which are vulnerable or endangered, such as the Andean cat, the most threatened feline in the Americas. The Río Colorado public land is permanently threatened by hydroelectric and mining projects, such as the Rubí project by the mining company Knauf, which is currently under an environmental assessment and pretends to establish itself in the area for gypsum extraction. This would impact the surrounding public land, many threatened species, and the life quality of nearby residents.
As Glaciares Chilenos Foundation, we have been part of the Queremos Parque campaign since our inception in 2019. Today, we join the call to the President Gabriel Boric to safeguard our public lands and create a state-protected area (in the form of a National Reserve to incorporate herding activities) in the Río Colorado territory, allowing public access and facilitating citizen participation in its creation.
#QueremosParque
December, 2022
Photographs:
- Campaign Queremos Parque.
