Santa Fe becomes the second province of Argentina to regulate a key law for the protection of wetlands and associated ecosystems, settling a five-year outstanding debt.
The Government of the Province of Santa Fe has approved the regulation of Law No. 13,932, a fundamental regulation for the preservation, conservation, responsible use, and protection of the wetlands in Santa Fe.
With this measure, Santa Fe positions itself as the second province in the country, after Misiones, to have specific and regulated legislation for these valuable ecosystems.
Enrique Estévez, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, highlighted the importance of this action: “Wetlands are home to hundreds of species and shelters for our flora and fauna. They also perform essential functions for people, such as regulating water levels and acting as natural filters.”
Concrete Tools for Comprehensive Management
The regulation, developed by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, implements concrete tools for comprehensive wetland management:
- Creation of the Provincial Wetlands Inventory: This inventory will allow the identification, classification, and characterization of these ecosystems at different scales and levels of detail.
- Expansion of the Natural Protected Areas System: The province has significantly advanced in this policy, incorporating over 1,100 hectares into this network in the last year. Work will begin on the consolidation of biological corridors and the inclusion of private reserves.
- Implementation of an Environmental Monitoring Plan: This plan will establish a system for continuous evaluation of water, soil, flora, and fauna quality, incorporating chemical and biological parameters for precise monitoring of the wetlands’ status.
Wetlands and Climate Action in Wetland Protection
The regulation integrates wetlands into the provincial strategies for adaptation and mitigation to climate change, as provided in Law No. 14,019.
This initiative is also articulated with municipal plans for territorial environmental planning. During 2024, in coordination with the Ministry of Government and municipalities, progress was made in urban planning and peri-urban areas in localities of General López and General Obligado departments, incorporating criteria of sustainability and conservation.
In this sense, Environmental Territorial Planning plans will be developed considering the presence of wetlands in land use design.
The provincial authority will coordinate with municipalities and communes to define criteria compatible with ecological sustainability, prioritizing occupation and production forms respectful of the ecosystem, and considering the typology, extension, and condition of the wetlands.
Environmental Education and Project Evaluation
The regulation also promotes environmental education with the development of specific content on wetlands. These materials will be available on the province’s official website for inclusion in educational programs.
Finally, it is established that all projects that may affect the environment must submit their Environmental Study and obtain the corresponding Environmental Feasibility, in compliance with Law 11,717 and Decree 153/25.
This regulation represents a decisive step to ensure the care of one of the most valuable natural heritages of Santa Fe.
