The Metropolitan Regional Government of Santiago described as insufficient -for the protection of the foothills ecosystem- the creation of the new Glaciers of Santiago National Park, a territory of 75 thousand hectares located 60 km from the city center and 3,600 meters high in the metropolitan mountain range , whose appointment was announced this morning by President Sebastián Piñera .
Although the new National Park will protect part of the glaciers and water sources that give life to the Olivares river basin, in the opinion of the Metropolitan Regional Government and the citizen movement “We Want Park”, the measure is not enough, since it is far from the 142 thousand hectares that are required to protect more than 300 glaciers and take care of the varied flora and fauna that inhabit the ravines and valleys of the Olivares and Colorado rivers.
“The polygon proposed for the new Glaciers of Santiago National Park is questionable, because it is only half of what needs to be protected in the area. 75,000 hectares out of a total of 142,000 are not enough to take care of the environment and the biodiversity that exists there, especially taking into account that the entire polygon is above 3,600 meters above sea level, leaving the flora and fauna unprotected. local wildlife. Additionally, it does not allow progress in mitigating the other effects of climate change, such as the absorption of CO2,” said the Regional Governor, Claudio Orrego.
“The foothills of the Metropolitan Region is a heritage to be protected, but also a treasure to be discovered and unfortunately in this case, citizens will not be able to visit the new park due to access difficulties. It seems irrational to us that the inhabitants of the city cannot freely and safely access one of the few natural parks located in the region. The fact that access is only suitable for people exercising in the high mountains does not help citizens to visit, learn about, value and care for their new park,” said Claudio Orrego, who added that “this is especially important for Santiago, which is the region with the largest population, but the one with the fewest protected areas in Chile. Less than 0.1% of the territory is officially protected, and that leaves us in a very vulnerable condition in terms of climate and ecological crisis, we regret that the historic opportunity to create a great park for the Metropolitan Region is not taken advantage of,” he added. the Governor of the Metropolitan Region.
In the same vein, the Coordinator of the “We Want Park” Movement, Pilar Valenzuela, stressed that it is necessary to protect 142,000 hectares and not just half, since now the entire Colorado River valley is left out. “75 thousand hectares is insufficient. We want the two valleys to be preserved for current and future generations. The creation of a large park must democratize access to nature and not limit it. There are 300 glaciers, 430 species of flora, 135 species of fauna, and a population in Santiago eager to go out and enjoy the landscapes, but will not have the facilities to visit it,” said the movement’s spokeswoman.
The “We Want Park” initiative was born in 2019 and since then has sought to protect 142,000 hectares located in the valleys of the Colorado and Olivares rivers. It has more than 200,000 citizen signatures, the support of 200 organizations, and the support of the Regional Government, which will invest 104 million pesos for the creation of the first work of trust in the place, the restoration of the “Mirador de Cóndores”.
The President of the Republic, Sebastián Piñera, accompanied by the Minister of National Assets, Julio Isamit, and the Minister of Agriculture, María Emilia Undurraga, announce the creation of the Santiago Glaciers National Park to conserve the ecosystem of this new protected area, after a tour of the glaciers located in the Andean area of Cajón del Maipo.
In Chile, the category of National Park represents the highest figure of protection in the terrestrial sphere, which implies that under this denomination of protection the glaciers will not be altered or affected.
With an area of approximately 75 thousand hectares, according to the central government, about 46% of the ice surface of the RM will be protected, in addition to containing 56% of the water stored in the glaciers of the entire region.
On March 4, 2021, the Council of Ministers for Sustainability (CMS) approved the creation of the “Santiago Glaciers National Park”. The new Park has the official protection of 368 glaciers inventoried by the General Directorate of Waters (DGA), which are distributed in: 118 glaciers in the Olivares River basin and 250 in the Colorado River basin.
