The Secretariat of Environment of Lomas de Zamora organized a day near the Galíndez Stream, with residents, socio-environmental organizations, and local officials.
The central focus was to debate and collectively produce the ordinance project that seeks to declare the area as “Protected Wetland Galíndez Stream”.
The Chief of Staff, Sol Tischik, emphasized that the goal is to consolidate a definitive legal protection: “We want to reclaim the centrality of our riverbank geography through concrete actions of restoration and recovery of this ecosystem“.
Technical Work Areas
During the day, three key aspects were addressed:
- Water Dynamics: analysis of water and soil flows, and how vegetation influences aquifer recharge.
- Natural Buffering: the value of the wetland as an absorption basin to mitigate flooding in peripheral neighborhoods was reaffirmed.
- Biodiversity: identification of native species of flora and fauna to build the environmental baseline of the future reserve.
Ordinance Project
The document seeks to establish a long-term legal framework for conservation and restoration for an integrated biological corridor. The delimitation includes:
- The Finky Park reservoir.
- The Santa María canal.
- The section of the Galíndez Stream that retains its natural course.
The ordinance will prohibit civil interventions that alter the water topography and will require the municipality to implement biological restoration plans and eradicate invasive species.
A Historic Milestone in Environmental Management
The institutional progress recognizes decades of community activism in Turdera and Temperley. The Finky Park site, once an open-air dump, was recovered thanks to citizen mobilizations, transforming into a green space with a high biodiversity index.
After the systematization of community contributions, the local Executive will draft the final document for submission to the Deliberative Council, where it will be discussed in committees before voting.
Key Functions of Wetlands
Wetlands occupy about 35% of the Buenos Aires territory and fulfill vital functions:
- Water Regulation: they retain rainwater and overflows, reducing floods.
- Biodiversity Reserves: refuge for native species and migratory birds.
- Climate Mitigation: they absorb and store carbon, combating global warming.
- Natural Filters: they purify water by trapping sediments and pollutants.
Highlighted Ecosystems in the Province
- Paraná Delta: one of the most biodiverse wetlands in the country.
- Floodable Grasslands and Chained Lagoons.
- Coastal strips of the Río de la Plata and the Argentine Sea.
The initiative to declare the Galíndez Stream as a Protected Wetland represents a decisive step towards the consolidation of urban environmental policies in Lomas de Zamora.
Protecting these ecosystems means ensuring clean water, mitigating floods, preserving biodiversity, and addressing climate change with nature-based solutions.
