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Twenty years after the severe contamination caused by Chilean pulp company Celulosa Arauco, the Somos Cuenca Festival, from November 29 to December 1 in Valdivia, Chile, will highlight the new voices working to protect the black-necked swans, the Cruces River and the San Pedro River watershed.
By Paulo Urrutia
Urrutia is executive director of Bestias del Sur Salvaje.
This year, several reports have generated concern in Valdivia and across Chile about new contamination outbreaks on the Calle Calle River. These events recall once again the shocking images of 2004, when the mass death of black-necked swans (Cygnus melancoryphus) at the Cruces River, inside the Carlos Anwandter Nature Sanctuary, marked one of the worst ecological disasters in Chile's history.
That 2004 disaster gave rise to the Swan Action Group, an organization that courageously pointed to the responsibility of a pulp plant owned by Celulosa Arauco (formerly Celco), one of the world’s largest pulp producers and a unit of Chile’s Empresas Copec. A subsequent study by Chilean environmental authorities and the University of Austral at Valdivia confirmed their suspicions that the plant, which had been built upstream of the river, had discharged liquid industrial waste into the water containing heavy metals that destroyed the swans’ main food source—a waterweed called luchecillo.
Ximena Rosales, one of the main spokespersons for the movement, remembers how children were among the first to raise their voices and demand answers. “I remember walking to the square and seeing a group of children in swan costumes singing: "Swans, friends, the children are with you,'” she says.
The 2004 documentary “Ciudad de Papel” (“Paper City” in English) exposes how the Chilean government failed to respond with the necessary urgency to the disaster, favoring with its inaction the polluting company and its production goals, while disregarding citizen demands that prioritized the welfare of the general population and ecosystem protection.
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Chilean activist Ximena Rosales, recalls that children were among the first to raise their voices and demand answers..The legacy of the movement for the swans and the Cruce River
For years, the company denied its reponsibility. Fnally, in 2014, Chile’s Supreme Court ordered Celulosa Arauco to pay a $US 4 million fine. “This ruling set an important precedent for environmental justice in the country and underscored the company's responsibility in the crisis,” said José “Pepe" Araya, president of the Río Cruces Nature Sanctuary Advisory Council.
This conflict also has had another important legacy – it exposed the serious shortcomings of the Chilean environmental system, prompting the creation of new institutions such as the environment superintendency (SMA), the enforcement arm of Chile’s environment ministry, and laid the groundwork for key legislation, such as the Urban Wetlands Law. “It is crucial to protect these ecosystems to prevent future environmental disasters and guarantee the sustainability of the area,” emphasizes Chilean senator Alfonso De Urresti, who represents the Los Rios Region.
Currently, Valdivia is also bidding to be the first "Wetland City" in Latin America under the RAMSAR Convention, highlighting its commitment to environmental sustainability. At the nearby San Pedro River, local communities have been fighting hydroelectric projects since 2007, and two years ago, the Colbún energy company withdrew its dam plans, opening a new stage of river protection.
“The perseverance of the communities has allowed us to move from resistance to protection, reaffirming the importance of coordination between different actors to achieve conservation objectives,” says Camilo Hornauer, president of Fundación Plantae, a regional conservation organization based in Valdivia.
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Somos Cuenca 2023 at Concepcion, Chile. A new initiative to restore the Los Rios region
Inspired by the saying “a spark of hope is more powerful than an ocean of despair,” the initiative "Somos Cuenca: Creating Bridges for Collaboration," reaches the Wazalafken (San Pedro, Valdivia) in the year that marks two decades since the Cruces River disaster, an event that left profound environmental consequences but also positioned the Los Ríos region as a model of community articulation and socio-environmental achievements.
With previous experiences at the Maipo and Biobío rivers, Somos Cuenca, which is led by the non-governmental organization Bestias del Sur Salvaje, is bringing together more than 100 national and international organizations to promote collective action. In the Los Rios region, the group works in collaboration with Lafken Lif and the Liquiñe Rural Drinking Water Committee. Fabián Carrasco, president of the Liquiñe committee, says they are excited about the upcoming event: “Somos Cuenca has given us the opportunity to connect with other organizations and activate our territories in a positive way to care for the environment."
In just six months, Somos Cuenca organizers have confirmed more than 80 collaborating organizations and 500 people for the event and they have collected close to a ton of garbage. All is ready now for the Second Somos Cuenca Festival, from November 29 to December 1 in Valdivia. The event will not only commemorate the challenges of the past, but also project a hopeful future with workshops, lectures, an environmental fair, and outdoor activities such as hiking and rafting. We invite you to participate in the activities!
For more information, visit the social network pages of Bestias del Sur Salvaje.
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