The Justice of Salta raised the fine imposed on two businessmen to more than 21.8 billion pesos (about 15 million dollars) due to the illegal deforestation of more than 11,000 hectares of native forests.
The drastic measure was taken following repeated non-compliance with environmental restoration plans by the offenders. Three years ago, Greenpeace activists had already exposed the seriousness of the situation with a giant banner at the site.
“This is a historic fine for one of the largest illegal deforestations in recent decades. It was an ecocide carried out with total impunity using 18 bulldozers, which only stopped when the AFIP reported the owners for slave labor.
Although they were ordered to remediate the forest —the size of half the city of Buenos Aires—, they never did and continued with their agricultural business,” said Noemí Cruz, coordinator of the Forests campaign at Greenpeace.
Greenpeace activists displayed a giant banner on a farm of almost 12,000 hectares, the size of half the city of Buenos Aires, which was illegally deforested. The environmental organization denounces that its owner has been, with impunity, 10 years without restoring the forest and with agricultural production. They invite the public to vote in a Popular Consultation on whether illegal deforestation and forest fires should be penalized.
The Arguments of Justice
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of Salta demonstrated that since 2018 there was no evidence of active reforestation.
On the contrary, the businessmen continued with unauthorized agricultural activities and corn storage within the protected areas, violating judicial restrictions and showing a total lack of progress in the recovery of the ecosystem.
Location and Responsible Parties
The affected estate is located near the town of Dragones, in the north of Salta. The owners and responsible parties are agricultural businessmen Juan José Karlen and Daniel Darío Karlen.
This massive deforestation directly impacts the territory and livelihood of Wichí communities and peasant families. The case has been systematically denounced by Greenpeace in 2013, 2016, and 2023.
The Call for Stricter Laws
Greenpeace insists that, although the economic sanction is unprecedented in Argentina, the urgent goal is to achieve environmental remediation.
The organization emphasizes that forests are vital for climatic and water regulation, host a great biodiversity, and are home to indigenous peoples.
For this reason, they call on the public to demand the establishment of effective prison sentences for those responsible for deforestation and forest fires.
