Will the National Parks of Argentina Reach the Next Millennium?
8/10/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Will the National Parks of Argentina reach the next
millennium?
Source: Comunidad del Limay
Albarracin 112 San Carlos de Bariloche - (8400) -
Rio Negro - Argentina -
Phones: (54) (0944) 42-7044 / 46-8095
Fax : (54) (0944) 46-1817
E-Mail: comunidadlimay@bariloche.com.ar
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: August 10, 1999
Byline: Hugo Santa Maria
As we face the danger of losing more Natural Resources, with all the
biodiversity, we feel obliged to make this urgent call to the world
community and it's authorities.
Our National Parks are being dismantled for the following reasons:
1) With the excuse of budget cuts, the board of directors is selling
the parks lands.
2) Argentina has singed a loan-agreement with the World Bank (BIRF-APN
4085/AR) "Native Forests and Protected Areas Project", with goal of
implementing a conservation project. The World Bank, co-participant
with Argentina in the project, claim that they are financing the
program with the goal of modernizing the National Parks
Administration, developing the infrastructure, and strengthening the
institution trough training of technical, professional and
administration personnel. Today, most of this personnel is being fired
according to the Resolution N 56/99, which is completely
contradictory with the agreements, while the World Bank "does not see
what is happening".
3) The personnel being fired is vital for the protected areas, and has
years of experience in their work (from 3 to 10 years). This
institution (32 Parks) protects 3,5 million hectares (almost
the same area as Belgium), having for all this only 700 employees.
4) The technical and administrative structure being dismantled (67%),
is by no means "disposable":
- Elaborates regulations for environmental projects.
- Makes or evaluates environmental impact evaluations, for preventing
potential environmental damage.
- Makes planning for the rational use of protected areas.
- Develops actions and projects for protecting endangered species.
- Designs projects and activities for public dissemination of the
goals of National Parks.
- Develops sustainable development projects, with indigenous
communities and rural settlers.
5) We, the Argentineans, are very worried, and we ask to the
responsible of all this: How can you modernize an institution which
dismantles the technical and professional teams, which took many years
to build and consolidate? How long will it take to rebuild these
teams, taking into account that they are integrated by people
specialized in diverse issues for which there is almost no formal
training in Argentina? Which guarantees are there that the project of
the World Bank loan will be implemented in environmentally sound ways?
6) Also, it is known that there are 42 concession projects waiting to
be released these days in the National Parks for tourism exploitation,
with the consequent ecological deterioration. Again, it is evident,
the intention of leaving the natural heritage unprotected, and
favoring instead private interests, ignoring the advice in contrary
made by the technical teams that are
being fired today.
7) The Lago Puelo National Park, in Patagonia, with unique tree
species, is seriously endangered by a road-project towards the
neighboring Chile. Options or alternatives to this road
were presented, but the argentine authorities did not take them into
account, again favoring particular interests. Neither were listened
the requests made by citizens that were acting
enabled by the National Constitution
(Article 41)
8) The same National Constitution is not respected by the Argentinean
authorities who are permanently carrying out projects with
multinational companies, which tend to depredate the environment. One
example is the cutting of the lenga forest (Nothofagus pumilio) in
Tierra del Fuego. The population opposed to this ecological disaster,
but it was not taken into consideration, despite the loss for humanity
this would represent.
9) Because of the lack of response of the World Bank to our repeated
claims for their intervention regarding the irregularities, we are now
not sure that this Bank has the will to act against
the corruption in Argentinean National Parks, such as firing the
technical and administrative personnel. The Argentineans are worried
because we could loose not only our Parks, but
also our sovereignty.
We make an urgent call to the Wold Community. It is important that the
voices of all of us who love nature be heard, by the responsible
authorities, and the directors of the World Bank.
To conserve the riches of our planet, for the present and the future
generations, is the responsibility of all of us.
COMUNIDAD DEL LIMAY (Limay Community)
Please send your concern to the following addresses:
Presidente de la Nacion, Dr. Carlos Saul Menem
Presidencia de la Nacion - Balcarce 50 - C.P. 1064 -
Capital Federal - Argentina -
World Bank
Mr. James Wolfensohn - President -
1818 - H. Street N.W. - Washington - D.C. 20433 - USA
Fax: 001-202-4776391
E-mail: worldbank@worldbank.org