An environmental injunction filed by a local NGO managed to stop the clearing in a protected natural area in Colón, in the province of Entre Ríos.
Judge María José Diz ordered the immediate cessation of soil movements in the Perucho Vern neighborhood and ordered the restoration of the affected native forest.
The Civil Association Arroyo Perucho Salvaje was the one that filed the legal action on September 19, 2025.
The lawsuit was directed against Francisco Rossier and his daughter, Milagros Belén Rossier, owners of the property where the illegal intervention took place.
The ruling declared the owners and the provincial Environment Secretariat as the controlling entity responsible for the environmental damage.
The sentence, published on December 26, also establishes concrete measures for the restoration of the ecosystem.
How the clearing in the protected area happened
The affected property is located within the Arroyo Perucho Verna Protected Natural Area, created by provincial law 11.011.
The area has a category II of native forest conservation, which qualifies it as a protected area and expressly prohibits clearing.
Engineer expert María Silvina Patterer determined that the intervened area reached 1.23 hectares. In her technical report, she confirmed “soil movements, recent removal, traces of heavy machinery, and loss of vegetation cover”.
The survey identified destroyed native species: chañar, coronillo, quebracho blanco, tala, and espinillo.
Part of the protected area of the wetland of the stream was also affected, as it was filled with earth extracted from the clearing.
The mandatory recovery plan for the area
In addition to stopping the clearing in the protected area, the sentence urged those responsible to implement a recomposition plan within 15 days.
The measures include soil rearrangement, removal of the wetland fill, and planting of native species.
The ruling establishes specific requirements for vegetation recovery:
- Minimum planting of 100 specimens of native forest species
- Distribution through natural patches and mosaics
- Exclusion of new mechanical interventions in the wetland
- Estimated period of 12 to 24 months for initial stabilization
On the public side, the provincial Environment Secretariat must conduct quarterly control of the recomposition process.
Wildlife ranger Jaime Borda, who reported the situation in 2023, could oversee the execution of the plan for the recomposition of the protected area after the clearing.
The municipality, without responsibility in the clearing of the protected area
On the other hand, Judge Diz rejected the action against the Municipality of San José. The ruling recognized that the municipality acted within its competencies by denying the land use and drawing up verification records.
“The Municipality of San José has no responsibility whatsoever,” the sentence noted. The local body ordered the stoppage of earth movements and notified the corresponding infractions.
The resolution imposed costs on the defeated defendants. The professional fees were set according to the parameters of the provincial fee law.
The case sets a precedent in the protection of provincial natural areas. The ruling applied the principles of prevention, precaution, and strict liability established in national environmental legislation.
