As the UN Summit for Life on Earth draws to a close in Kuala Lumpur, 50 Greenpeace activists in Santiago blocked the entrance to the Casa de la Moneda (the President's Palace) with three trucks. The activists are urging the Chilean government to protect Patagonia's ancient forests and stop Noranda's proposed aluminium plant, Alumysa, project that would flood thousands of hectares of ancient forests in pristine Patagonia.
Greenpeace activists protest in front of the Presidential palace demanding protection for the Patagonian forests.
The three trucks displayed the message 'President Lagos: Protect
Patagonia', with activists chained to them. Other activists held
banners demanding 'No Alumysa' & 'Protect Patagonia'. Activists
also descended on the Chilean Embassy in Ottawa, Canada to demand
that the Chilean government ensure that Canadian company Noranda
does not go ahead with the Alumysa project, and that they instead
protect Patagonia.
"While the UN meeting is desperately seeking ways to protect
life on earth, President Lagos appears to be intent on destroying
our invaluable global heritage," said Rodrigo Herrera, Greenpeace
Forests Campaigner in Chile.
Today only 20% is left of the world's remaining ancient forests.
Most of these are imminently threatened by logging, agricultural
clearing and other human activity. Chilean Patagonia is a critical
example of an ancient forest under threat from development. The
Alumysa project proposed for the region by Canadian company Noranda
involves the flooding of 10,000 ha of forest in order to build dams
and a highly polluting aluminium smelter in the pristine forest
region. The aluminium plant will produce over 500,000 tonnes of
toxic waste every year and will emit significant levels of
atmospheric pollution into a pristine area.
"There are two choices for the future of Patagonia: it's
pristine forests can either be protected for future generations, or
President Lagos can instead give the green light to this industrial
mega project which will result in the destruction of Patagonia"
said Greenpeace Campaigner Gavin Edwards. "We are today to urge him
to make the right choice: Protect Patagonia rainforests".
On board of the ship 'Arctic Sunrise', Greenpeace has documented
the uniqueness and importance of the Chilean Ancient forests and
the threats they are exposed to. These threats include the Alumysa
project, salmon fish farming, pollution from mines, tree
plantations, cattle grazing and forest fires.
Greenpeace is highlighting the plight of the world's last
remaining ancient forests and the depletion of the oceans in the
lead up to the summit for life on earth-the UN meeting of the
Convention for Biological Diversity-which is held in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia and finishes tomorrow. Greenpeace is urging governments to
protect life in all its diversity, indigenous people's rights and
cultural variety by providing money for protection of life on land
and sea. World governments must also ban large scale industrial
activity in all sensitive areas and establish a network of land and
marine protected areas with effective law enforcement and
management.
"Chile is bound by the Convention on Biological Diversity to
protect its magnificent forests and oceans", said Rodrigo Herrera.
"The protection of Patagonia is the true test of that commitment
for President Lagos", he concluded
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