Environmental organizations, researchers, and residents expressed their concern and raised an environmental alert in Rosario, Santa Fe.
They denounce the recent 30-year concession of the Isla de los Mástiles, a protected natural area located in the Delta del Paraná, in front of the city of Granadero Baigorria.
Environmental alert and indignation in Santa Fe: what is happening on Isla de los Mástiles
The measure was approved by the local Deliberative Council, which granted the use of the land to a private tourism development.
The island, part of the Northern Regional Park, is recognized as an area of high ecological value due to its wetlands, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.
Despite its protected status, the concessionaire company will be able to carry out tourist, commercial, sports, and cultural activities there for three decades, which has generated strong criticism.
What Isla de los Mástiles, in the Delta del Paraná, looks like. (Photo: Taller Ecologista).
From the organization El Paraná No Se Toca, along with other environmental entities, they warn that this decision violates current environmental regulations. It puts at risk the flora, fauna, and balance of the island ecosystem.
They denounce that the process was carried out without a public hearing or prior environmental impact studies, contrary to the principles of citizen participation and environmental caution.
“It is an area of fundamental wetlands for water regulation and species conservation. You cannot lease a protected area as if it were barren land,” they stated from the collective.
Furthermore, they emphasized that this type of concessions set a dangerous precedent. It opens the door to the privatization of key natural spaces for climate balance and biodiversity.
Isla de los Mástiles also holds social and educational value: in recent years, it has been used for research, environmental education, and responsible recreation.
Therefore, environmentalists demand that the municipality reverse the decision and respect the public and protected nature of this territory.
The relevance of wetlands.
Why wetlands are crucial for protecting biodiversity
This environmental alert once again highlights the importance of conserving wetlands and strengthening environmental protection policies.
In these ecosystems, which only cover 6% of the Earth’s surface, 40% of all plant and animal species reside.
That is why they are an extremely valuable treasure for conserving the planet’s biodiversity and preventing the advancement of global warming. Wetland ecosystems, which cover approximately 12.1 million square kilometers around the world, are in danger.
