After more than a decade of claims, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation issued a ruling that obliges the National State, the government of Jujuy, and the companies JEMSE and Jujuy Hidrocarburos S.A.U. to implement a plan for cessation and environmental restoration due to the impacts caused by oil exploitation in the Calilegua National Park and in well Ca.e3, located in the CNO-4 Río Colorado area.
Greenpeace celebrates the decision: “It is illegal and dangerous to operate within a National Park”
Social organizations, indigenous communities, and park rangers support the ruling as a progress in environmental defense.
“This ruling gives us hope to soon see this protected area without oil companies and with the damages remedied,” said Noemí Cruz, coordinator of the Forests campaign at Greenpeace.
The organization had been demanding this measure for years, along with park rangers, neighbors, and indigenous communities, denouncing the illegal presence of oil companies in an area of high ecological value.
The Yungas Jungle: a key ecosystem under threat
Calilegua is home to half of the country’s birds and endangered species like the jaguar.
Established in 1979, the Calilegua National Park protects 76,306 hectares of the Yungas Jungle, one of the most biodiverse environments in Argentina. There inhabit:
- 123 species of trees
- 103 species of ferns and lycophytes
- 120 mammals and 24 amphibians
- Iconic species such as the jaguar, the taruca, and the poma eagle
- Monkeys, river otters, toucans, deer, peccaries, and the coati
The judicial ruling: deadlines, responsibilities, and technical supervision
The Court sets December 31, 2030, as the deadline to complete the remediation.
The ruling orders:
- Cessation of oil activity in the Caimancito field and well Ca.e3
- Implementation of a collective environmental restoration plan
- Compliance with technical and legal requirements established by the Secretary of Energy and the National Parks Administration
- Joint responsibility of the National State in the execution of the plan
- Direct supervision by the National Parks Administration
Background: annulled concessions and institutional resistances
In 2015, the Jujuy legislature annulled the oil concessions within the park, following the request of multiple institutional and social actors. However, in 2018, resolution 576 suspended the affectation of the Caimancito field area, benefiting oil companies.
In 2019, Greenpeace and the Argentine Association of Environmental Lawyers filed a writ of protection before the Supreme Court, requesting the annulment of that measure and the effective protection of 1,000 hectares of the affected area.
Biodiversity at risk: unique species and fragile ecosystems
The presence of oil companies endangers irreplaceable habitats and essential ecological processes.
The park is home to rare species such as:
- Surucuá aurora
- Marsupial frog
- Red squirrels, mountain foxes, and coatis
- Peccaries, deer, and native monkeys
Oil activity threatens not only the fauna but also the forest structure, watercourses, and air quality, affecting the communities that depend on these ecosystems.
