Travel Notes: Protecting Patagonia

Left to right: Mitzi Urtubia, Alianza Aisen Reserva de Vida; Meche Lu, E-LAW U.S.; and Francisco Ferrada, Fiscalia del Medio Ambiente

Trip Report, Meche Lu, Puerto Aisen, Chile

In January, I traveled to the spectacular Patagonia region of southern Chile to help educate local fishermen about water pollution, the potential impacts of a proposed aluminum smelter (the "Alumysa Project"), and citizens’ rights to a clean and healthy environment.

Twenty fishermen from Puerto Aisen and nearby villages, as well as school teachers and a professor from the University of Valparaiso, joined the two-day workshop. Some fishermen traveled more than two hours to attend.

I was invited to participate by E-LAW advocates at Fiscalia del Medio Ambiente (FIMA), Chile’s leading public interest environmental law firm, and Alianza Aisen Reserva de Vida, a coalition of local citizen groups challenging the Alumysa Project. We met at Puerto Aisen’s city hall.

Puerto Aisen is a port town in a pristine remote area of southern Chile’s Region XI, home to spectacular glaciers, fjords, rivers, and lakes. I flew for three hours from Santiago to Coyhaique (the regional capital), and then drove two hours west to Puerto Aisen. The proposed Alumysa Project threatens local salmon populations, which are central to the livelihood of local communities.

The Alumysa Project

Chacabuco Bay, Chile

The Toronto-based Noranda Corporation has proposed a $2.7 billion aluminum project for the Aisen region that includes an aluminum smelter, three hydroelectric plants, 57 miles of roads, 51 miles of electric transmission lines, and a port in Chacabuco Bay. Many residents depend on the local fishing industry, particularly salmon, and fear the Alumysa Project will destroy fragile ecosystems.

Aluminum producers are attracted to the Aisen region for its access to the Pacific Ocean, and the potential to dam wild rivers to produce cheap hydroelectric power for the energy intensive aluminum industry.

In August, Noranda canceled the Alumysa Project, bowing to pressure from Chile’s president, FIMA, and a broad coalition of community groups. FIMA president Fernando Dougnac says the project is dormant but Noranda may begin negotiations again.

The Workshop

The local fishermen were very attentive and asked many questions about the environmental impacts of hydroelectric power plants and dams. One participant had seen the executive summary of Noranda’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Alumysa Project, but the others knew nothing about the EIA. This was the first time the local fishermen had heard about Chile’s constitutional right to a healthy environment, human rights, environmental law, water quality, and the potential impacts of the project.

Fernando made two extraordinary presentations about democracy and public participation in Chile, and the illegality of the Alumysa Project. FIMA staff attorney Francisco Ferrada spoke to participants about their constitutional right to a healthy environment and Chile’s environmental policies and institutions.

Participants found the workshop extremely valuable and FIMA agreed to work with the fishermen to conduct similar workshops in other cities in the region.

Meche Lu is E-LAW U.S. Environmental Research Scientist. Her work with FIMA has been generously supported by the Weeden Foundation.