Photos here (credit: Defensa Ambiental)
Download the press release here: English Version
For Immediate Release
September 25, 2024
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Isadora Armani, Communications of International Rivers,iarmani@internationalrivers.org (English, Portuguese)
Dario Cuellar, Communications of Defensa Ambiental, dario@ongdefensaambiental.cl (Spanish)
CONCEPCIÓN, CHILE – The Biobío River is now the first ecosystem to have a Declaration of Rights in Chile. The communities of Defensa Ribera Norte Chiguayante, situated downstream on the Biobío River, and Malen Leubü, located in Alto Biobío, alongside the NGOs Defensa Ambiental, Manzana Verde, International Rivers, and Earth Law Center, proudly announced the launch of the Declaration of the Rights of the Biobío River, after following exhaustive studies and consultations along the river’s expanse. This historic declaration seeks to rekindle the bond between communities and their river while safeguarding the rights of Chile’s Biobío River against mounting environmental threats. Supported by the Somos Cuenca initiative, the Declaration of the Rights of the Biobío River is currently open for endorsements from both national and international organizations, as well as the general public. The full document can be read and signed here.
The official launch of the Biobío River Declaration took place yesterday (24) at the Concepción Municipal Library in the city of Concepción and brought together environmentalists, leaders, local authorities, and communities from the Upper and Lower BioBio River basin.
Watch the campaign video here.
This Declaration aligns with the growing efforts of people worldwide advocating for the Rights of Rivers by recognizing the fundamental need for protecting life-sustaining river ecosystems such as the Biobío River. By creating this Declaration, the Biobío River basin communities are strengthening and growing awareness of the need to preserve rivers as vital elements of our natural environment and our communities’ health and resilience. This movement reflects a shared concern for the health of rivers globally and demonstrates our collective commitment to safeguarding freshwater sources essential for the preservation of ecosystems and the rights and health of future generations.
This Declaration originated directly from the communities themselves, featuring a diverse array of stakeholders convinced that a better and more respectful future is achievable for the Biobío basin. The Declaration is the result of months of multiple participatory dialogues involving riverside communities of the Biobío, including Indigenous Peoples, scientists, civil society organizations, environmental activists, and the general public. This document sheds light on the socio-environmental issues and threats facing the Biobío River throughout its entire basin, highlighting the crucial connection between the community and the river. The initiative originated during the Somos Cuenca Festival in November 2023, where workshops and public consultations were held to finalize the document.
Among the main points of the Declaration for the Rights of the Biobío River are:
- The cornerstone of the Declaration lies in its profound acknowledgment of the intrinsic value held by the Biobío River. This landmark document establishes a comprehensive framework of inherent rights, affirming the river’s entitlement to (among others):
(1) Adequate flow to sustain the health of surrounding ecosystems
(2) Unhindered flow and connectivity from the mountains to the sea
(3) Preservation of structural integrity, vital functions, and evolutionary processes
(4) Safeguarding native biodiversity
(5) Ongoing regeneration and restoration efforts, fostered through enduring partnerships with riverside communities
These fundamental rights encapsulate the essence of the Biobío River’s significance and underscore the imperative of its preservation for the ecosystem and future generations.
- The declaration further urges authorities to take decisive action in integrating this perspective into the ongoing efforts for the lasting preservation of the river and its surrounding basin.
- Major concerns include ongoing hydroelectric projects like the Rucalhue and Frontera Hydroelectric Plants (Ralco, Pangue, and Angostura are already completed). Additionally, the proposed “San Carlos Hydroelectric Plant” is in the planning phase, and poses a significant cumulative threat to the river’s ecosystem if completed. These projects collectively jeopardize the river’s flow and water quality, resulting in loss of native biodiversity and affecting fish migration and ultimately leading to irreversible damage.
- Another concern is the legal and illegal extraction of aggregates (boulders, rubble, gravel, sand) from the riverbed to be used for construction, which poses a substantial risk, altering the riverbed structure and compromising water quality.
- The document also serves as an alert about the negative impact of the construction of road infrastructure projects. Projects such as the “Concesión Vial Puente Industrial”, consisting of a viaduct and road connection of approximately 6.4 kilometers, the “Costa Mar” road projects in San Pedro de la Paz and “Costanera” in the commune of Chiguayante, would cause the total destruction of the wetlands of these localities, are alarming. These developments underscore the inadequacy of the national legal framework in ensuring the protection of riparian ecosystems and citizen participation, lacking international standards that prioritize sustainable development in harmony with nature.
The Biobío River and its tributaries constitute one of the most important, diverse, and complex ecosystems in Chile, harboring immense biodiversity and providing sustenance for multiple ecosystems and countless riverine and terrestrial species, many of them endemic. It has an indissoluble link to the culture and spirituality of the Pewenches and Lafkenches Peoples, as the river is an inherent part of their own worldview and traditional knowledge, considering that historically these Indigenous Peoples have been managers and protectors of the free and healthy flow throughout the Biobío River basin.
Regarding the importance of creating this document for the River and the communities, Alejandro Gatica, a member of the Defensa Ribeira Norte, has indicated that “this Declaration is essential because it recognizes us as a riverside community, revalues and protects the water network. The Biobío River is in an environmental crisis due to extractivist actions on its banks, with uncontrolled logging, lack of protection of its wetlands, and the coastal project that threatens to intervene in its structure.”
In turn, Evaluna Morales, a member of Malen Leubü, has stated that, “As Lamgen Pewenche1 it is vital that the Biobío River be declared a living being and subject of rights. For our Mapuche Pewenche worldview, the reciprocal relationship with the River is fundamental, from us as free people to him as free Ngen leubü2 . Unfortunately, the Rivers is already fractionated in more than 16 parts, which prevents the itrobil mogen3 from flowing, affecting our relationship and the Küme mongen4 around it.”
The director of the local NGO Defensa Ambiental and leader of the initiative, Nohad Escares, points out that, “Each of the communities participating in the workshops has highlighted the importance of our reconciliation with the basin and, in turn, the urgency of its recovery. We hope that recognizing their rights will be an opportunity to overcome the diverse struggles that prevent the river’s basin from recovering its health and balance of their entire basin. We also hope the authorities and communities will soon use this instrument to demand their protection.”
To the international community, the Declaration can represent important progress for environmental restoration, the fundamental right to water, and an important leadership opportunity for Chile in the global rights of nature movement. More than 37 countries around the world have promoted initiatives for the recognition of the rights of nature and joined the global movement that recognizes rivers as subjects of rights. Countries such as Ecuador, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Canada, the United States, and Colombia have recognized multiple rivers as subjects of rights.
Constanza Prieto Figelist, Latin America Director of Earth Law Center, says, “The Rights of Nature favor the incorporation of more powerful standards of environmental protection and citizen participation in environmental issues through, for example, the figure of representatives or guardians of Nature. Likewise, comparative experience shows that they are a powerful instrument for combating activities that favor biodiversity loss or climate change. The Rights of Nature are a bridge that not only guarantees the inherent value of rivers and natural entities, but is also key to the full realization of the Human Rights of their communities.”
“Today signifies a pivotal moment as we introduce the Declaration for the Rights of the Biobío River. In partnership with Defensa Ribera Norte Chiguayante and Pewenches Indigenous communities, this initiative underscores our shared dedication to preserving this vital ecosystem amidst mounting destructive pressures,” said Monti Aguirre, Latin America Program Director of International Rivers. “The well-being of the Biobío River, along with that of surrounding communities, is imperiled by the pressures imposed on its ecosystem, stemming from established dams such as Ralco, Pangue, and Angostura, as well as proposed hydro-projects and extractive activities.”
1 Lamngen Pewenche: Pewenche Mapuche person.
2 Ngen leubü: Guardian Spirit of the River (in this case, butaleubu / El Gran Rio or bio bio bio)
3 Itrobil mogen: All life, beings and elements that surround us, that we can see and that we cannot see.
4 Küme mongen: living in harmony with life, with our spirit (pullü), with our culture, with the itrobill mongen. With health and well-being.
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About Defensa Ribera Norte Chiguayante.
Defensa Ribera Norte Chiguayante is a collective of organizations and inhabitants of the banks of the Biobío River organized in a campaign to oppose a series of road development projects that threaten the integrity of the Biobío River and its wetlands.
About Malen Leubü
Malen Leubü is a collective of young Pewuenche women working and promoting the defense of the Pewenche territory of Alto Biobío through aquatic sports and rafting.
About ONG Defensa Ambiental
Defensa Ambiental is a non-profit organization made up of a multidisciplinary team of professionals and volunteers, who seek to guarantee communities comprehensive support in accessing environmental justice, through the execution of continuous and collaborative work in the territories. They work for the promotion, protection and recovery of ecosystems, providing legal advice to defenders of nature, while promoting education and dissemination of environmental management and conservation tools.
About Fundación Manzana Verde.
Their work focuses on facilitating methodologies for territorial creativity to organizations with socio-environmental concerns, mainly focused on the water (rivers and wetlands). One of these programs is Global Water Watch community-based water monitoring, sustainable planning at watershed scale, agroecology, biocultural restoration and environmental education. Manzana Verde works creating collaborations with grass-roots organizations, promoting the dialogue between academia, art, activism and territorial knowledge, sharing ideas, feelings, thoughts, games, tools and strategies.
About Somos Cuenca
Somos Cuencas is an initiative that seeks to create and strengthen collaboration networks between people, organizations, and the different territorial actors concerned with conserving and restoring the river ecosystems of the country’s basins. This initiative arises from the concern and need to have proper environmental tools and policies that allow us to address with a new perspective the present and future challenges that we face in the context of the social, political, cultural, and water resources crisis that are directly related to our broken bond with nature.
About Earth Law Center
Earth Law Center is a non-profit organization, with offices in the United States, Mexico and Canada, that promotes the application of the Rights of Nature at the local and international level, creating alliances with local organizations for the recognition and enactment of laws that recognize the inherent rights of rivers, oceans and terrestrial and coastal ecosystems. In this way, it aims to make a paradigm shift, fighting for the formal recognition of the Rights of Nature to exist, develop and evolve. Earth Law Center seeks to guarantee ecosystems the same rights that people and corporations have, allowing the defense of their rights before national and international courts, not only for the benefit of people, but also for the benefit of Nature itself.
About International Rivers
International Rivers is a global organization with more than 35 years of work and regional offices in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The group works so that riparian communities and people affected by dams have their voices heard and their rights respected. International Rivers helps create active and well-instrumented networks of civil society groups and conducts independent, investigative research to protect rivers and defend the rights of communities that depend on them.