Environmental organizations, municipalities and former conventions request the Ministry of Agriculture to protect Xerophytic vegetation

Through a statement, environmental organizations, municipalities and former conventions mainly from the north central area of the country asked the Ministry of Agriculture to protect xerophytic vegetation.
In the document they express that the xerophytic formations “constitute the maximum expression of the natural vegetation adapted to prolonged periods of drought and high solar radiation, and are protected in Law 20,283 on Recovery of the Native Forest and Forest Development of the year 2008”.
In the text they explain that the authorization of the Work Plans (PdT) by the CONAF allow the cutting, destruction or descepado (root start) of the xerophytic formations, therefore, “it is inconsistent with the objective of forest protection and recovery of Law 20,283, and does not consider the protection of soils, waters, and the biodiversity of these ecosystems,” the document states.
Among the more than 100 signatories of the declaration are Terram Foundation, MODATIMA Petorca, the Laboratory of Dendrochronology and Environmental Studies PUCV, Carmen Castillo, mayor of San Felipe, Javiera Toledo, mayor of Villa Alemana, Jorge Sharp, mayor of Valparaíso, Camila Zárate, lawyer, former Constituent Convention, Carolina Vilches, geographer former Conventional Constituent, Diego Ibañez, deputy, among others.
They also added that between May 2009 and March 2022, 16,677 hectares were affected by the approval of 913 PdT, a figure that may be higher due to the illegal elimination of FX or to interventions carried out without the need for PdT because not all the conditions required for its presentation were met.
“The authorizations favored the mining industry, the construction of solar plants and the habilitation of land for the establishment of fruit trees, with the regions of Atacama, Coquimbo, and Valparaíso being the most affected,” they say.
Faced with this situation, they explained that at the beginning of 2022 the Association of Forest Engineers for the Native Forest (AIFBN) entered a request to the Comptroller General of the Republic for a review of the Work Plans, which to date has not had a response.

“The lack of protection of FX is destroying relevant ecosystems that are not protected and seriously affecting the quality of life of various communities living in the environments where these native formations are being intervened. The serious climatic and water scenario that the country is going through and the fundamental role that FX has in the persistence and functioning of ecosystems, especially for the maintenance of the hydrological cycle and water storage, the conservation of biodiversity and the protection of soils from erosive processes, “they denounce.

Given this, they request the Ministry of Agriculture, chaired by Esteban Valenzuela, “Modify and update the D.S. 68/2009 of the Ministry of Agriculture, allowing the incorporation of a greater number of species from arid and semi-arid areas. That CONAF eradicate without delay the practice of eliminating and cutting xerophytic formations. The intervention of these vegetation formations must be in accordance with the objective of Law 20,283 and modify and update Law 20,283 according to the current scenario of drought, desertification and climate change, “request the signatories.

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Original source in Spanish