Efforts to protect rivers in Palena province presented to Chilean officials

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Local organizations and community political leaders are promoting a collaborative strategy to protect water flows and promote sustainable development in northern Chilean Patagonia.
 
By Cristian Jara
 
With the aim of continuing to consolidate a sustainable development model based on nature conservation and territorial identity, various efforts to achieve this objective through the protection of the region's rivers were presented March 17 to the mixed commission of the Regional Government of Los Lagos, as a unique opportunity for the region to guarantee the uses and values that the province's community values in the territory. 
 
The meeting was aimed at highlighting the progress that, for almost five years, has been made collaboratively in Palena province to protect the Yelcho, Futaleufú and Palena rivers through the “Reserva de Caudal” protection tool, thus promoting sustainable local development and positioning the region as an international benchmark in conservation and nature tourism.
 
This action is part of a public-private articulation strategy that seeks to align the efforts of the territory with regional public investment, especially through the Extreme Zones Plan promoted by the Regional Government, which already includes a specific item and budget allocated for the creation of a future protected rivers plan. “We deeply appreciate the interest of the Regional Council whose members seek to understand, participate and be catalysts of this process. The Regional Government has played a very active role: it has taken this agenda to the national level, to key ministries such as environment ministry, the water agency and the budget department, achieving significant progress in planning. This shows that where energy is put, resources are also allocated, which is key to advance in the effective protection of our rivers,” emphasized the Coalición Ríos Protegidos (Protected Rivers Coalition).
 
Among the participating authorities, the regional councilor Catalina Saavedra, president of the environmental commission of CORE Los Lagos, praised the work and the articulation to advance in these matters and highlighted the need to advance in public policies that guarantee the flow of the rivers and the rural communities that live around them. “It was very valuable to learn about the work carried out by the organizations that promote the Protected Rivers Coalition in the protection of the Yelcho, Futaleufú and Palena rivers. We believe that sustainable development must go hand in hand with the preservation of our natural heritage, not only for its ecological value, but also for what it means for future generations,” said Saavedra. “Protecting our rivers is to strengthen the sense of belonging and territorial identity. We hope that this initiative will inspire other provinces, such as Chiloé, to advance in the protection of their rivers, which we know have important drinking water supply problems,” she added. 
 
As part of the institutional process, the coalition has proposed the creation of a territorial roundtable or intersectoral coordination mechanism to strengthen local capacities and channel projects toward a more integrated management of the territory. This instance seeks to articulate initiatives under a common framework of community welfare, health, children and local autonomy, in line with the strategic pillars worked on during these years.
 
In this regard, the president of the environment commission pointed out that “our communities have grown up around rivers. They are part of our history and culture, but they also represent a concrete opportunity for local development without the need to intervene in their flows. It is time to direct public investment to the territory and build policies from the territory itself. Only in this way will we be able to advance in an effective decentralization that promotes sustainable development and social welfare."
 
 

 
A symbolic action: rafting on the International Day of Action for Rivers
As part of this agenda, the environmental group Bestias del Sur Salvaje, a member of the Protected Rivers Coalition, organized a rafting trip down the Michimahuida River, a few kilometers from the city of Chaitén and close to the recently inaugurated El Amarillo Hot Springs. In this little explored river, the International Day of Action for Rivers was attended by residents of the districts of Chaitén, Palena and Futaleufú, local authorities, municipal officials and representatives of social organizations, with the purpose of strengthening ties from an experiential experience and connecting directly with the ecosystemic, cultural and recreational value of these river territories.
 
“We highlight the strong commitment of the community: entrepreneurs, local actors and all the people who participated in the rafting trip. These experiences allow us to live the river, connect with its intrinsic value and understand why it is so important to protect it. Only in this way can we advance in strategies that promote sustainable tourism, ecosystem conservation and the strengthening of local capacities to consolidate this territory as a destination of international leadership,” said Paulo Urrutia, executive director of Bestias del Sur Salvaje.
 
One of the fundamental pillars of the work of the Protected Rivers Coalition has been the direct involvement of local communities. From the world of tourism, the municipalities have also valued these instances as opportunities to make visible the river wealth of their territories. Daniel Paillán, in charge of the Tourist Information Office of the Municipality of Chaitén, highlighted the positive impact of the activity: “It is very valuable that initiatives are beginning to be developed to explore and publicize our rivers and the importance of their protection. Personally, what made me most happy was to see that rafting is not only possible in Futaleufú, but also in Chaitén and in our commune we have navigable rivers with great potential. Activities like this not only promote local tourism, but also help to make our rivers visible and, above all, to promote their protection, which is the most important thing."
 
This view was echoed by other local voices who stressed the importance of raising awareness among authorities and decision-makers of the value of rivers as cultural, economic and ecological hubs. “It seems to me an excellent initiative to seek to raise awareness among authorities and those in high positions about the importance of protecting our rivers. Any economic or tourist activity should always be developed with an ecological approach. After all, that is precisely what tourists come to appreciate when they visit us: our pristine rivers, our virgin forests, the pristine beauty of our landscapes. That is why any economic development must always go hand in hand with the protection of the natural environment,” Paillán emphasized.
 
Currently, the protection of the province's rivers is key to guaranteeing this long-term vision. The decree of the flow reserve for ecosystemic preservation of the Futaleufú River is signed by the minister of Public Works, Jessica López, and is awaiting approval by the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic. The progress of this decree is substantial to respond to the desire that the communities of the province have been claiming for so long, to turn the Futaleufú River into the first river protected with this tool and the Los Lagos Region into the region with the most protected rivers in the country.
 
 
 

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