The Coordinadora Socioambiental Aconcagua raised alarms upon detecting that 539 wetlands disappeared from the official inventory of the Ministry of the Environment. The reduction, which cuts the national registry from 2000 to 1461 areas, was considered by the organization as an event of extreme ecological gravity.
The eliminated wetlands were part of the Information and Biodiversity Monitoring System (SIMBIO), a key tool for monitoring fragile and strategic ecosystems throughout Chilean territory.
The disappearance of these records compromises the scientific knowledge and public management of essential spaces for the environmental balance and water security of numerous communities.
Suspicions about economic interests and legal weakening
The Coordinadora denounced that this modification could anticipate an attempt to weaken the future Law of Biodiversity and Protected Areas (SBAP), which seeks to safeguard sensitive ecosystems and prohibit their physical alteration when cataloged as priority sites.
The exclusion of more than five hundred wetlands from the previous inventory could leave vast natural areas without legal protection, opening the door to extractive or real estate projects on previously protected territories.
Various environmental sectors warn that this type of action represents a setback in the Chilean climate policy, putting at risk the international commitments of conservation and adaptation to climate change.
Direct impacts on communities and ecosystems
The loss of registration of these wetlands affects much more than a statistical number: it implies the invisibility of spaces where the water cycle is regulated, biodiversity is housed, and extreme events like floods or droughts are mitigated.
Rural communities, potable water systems, family agriculture, and native species directly depend on these ecosystems. Without their official recognition, access to protection, restoration, or environmental financing policies becomes practically null.
The Coordinadora Aconcagua announced that it is conducting a cartographic analysis to determine which regions and communes are most affected by the removal of these bodies of water from the state registry.
Demand for transparency and immediate action
Socio-environmental organizations demand urgent explanations from the Ministry of the Environment and request the complete information be restored in the public biodiversity system.
The case has raised concern in various territories where wetlands are vital for aquifer recharge, contaminant filtration, and local climate regulation.
The complaint seeks not only to clarify institutional responsibility but also to reopen the debate on the need to strengthen monitoring, transparency, and the effective protection of wetlands at the national level.
The importance of wetlands for the planet’s balance
Wetlands are one of the most valuable and, at the same time, most threatened ecosystems on the planet. They act as natural sponges that absorb excess water during rains, reducing the risk of floods and droughts.
Additionally, they function as carbon sinks, storing more greenhouse gases than most forests. Their vegetation filters pollutants, recharges aquifers, and supports rich biodiversity, serving as a refuge for birds, fish, amphibians, and unique plants.
The disappearance or degradation of wetlands not only alters the local ecological balance but also exacerbates the global climate crisis. Protecting them ensures water, life, and future for the generations to come.
