Council of Ministers for Sustainability approves creation of Valle de Cochamó Nature Sanctuary and Mar de Pisagua marine area

The Council of Ministers for Sustainability and Climate Change, chaired by Environment Minister Maisa Rojas, approved this morning the creation of the Valle de Cochamó Nature Sanctuary. It is an area renowned for its unique natural setting in northern Patagonia. 

The new nature sanctuary is located in Los Lagos Region. It stands out for its imposing granite walls, untamed forests, million-year-old glaciers and rocks, and unique culture. The protected area is almost 11,400 hectares (28,170 acres) in size. It comprises approximately one third of the Cochamó river basin and is located within the limits of the Bosques Templados Lluviosos de los Andes Australes (Temperate Rainforests of the Southern Andes) Biosphere Reserve. It is home to more than 50 species of animals, including birds, mammals and amphibians. Its centuries-old forests also contain six of Chile’s twelve forest types.  

“Today, we have protected one of the country’s most important ecosystems, given its natural wealth, flora and fauna. One of the world’s most important water reserves is found in the Cochamó Valley. This area is also a climate refuge that provides ecosystem benefits that generate well-being for people, due to its abrupt topography and the presence of well-preserved native forests,” Environment Minister Maisa Rojas commented. She added, “with this decision, we continuing moving forward with our commitments to the last Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), in which we committed to protect one million hectares (2.5 million acres) by 2030.” 

Mar de Pisagua 

It wasn’t only southern Chile that received a new conservation area. The intergovernmental council also approved the creation of the Mar de Pisagua Multiple-Use Marine and Coastal Protected Area (MU-MCPA), located in the municipality of Huara, north of Iquique. 

This MU-MCPA will have an approximate area of 73,000 hectares (180,387 acres), and will be the first of its size on the coast of the Tarapacá Region. It represents a milestone in fulfilling President Boric’s program of establishing a network of marine protected areas along the coast of Chile in underrepresented marine ecoregions. This MU-MCPA will guarantee the conservation of a very diverse ecosystem, which includes whales, dolphins, seabirds and schools of fish, as well as the seabed. It also includes the area’s traditional fishing practices as a custom to be protected and sustainably managed. 

Minister Rojas explained that Chile possesses eight ecoregions. These are areas in which small unique ecosystems predominate, different from those in the rest of the marine area. “With this decision, the Council of Ministers has protected the Humboldtian ecoregion, which becomes the first of eight of our country’s ecoregions to be awarded this level of protection. We thus move forward with the commitment of our NDCs to protect at least 10% of these areas, which are so important for their biodiversity and for being unique ecosystems. It is also necessary to highlight that the protection plan was prepared alongside the local community, artisanal fishing organizations, universities and authorities.” 

The environment minister added, “as a government, one of our priority goals is to protect our biodiversity. In northern Chile, we have a debt to protect coastal marine ecosystems, and we are working with great conviction to strengthen that representativeness. The Pisagua Sea is an area of high productivity and is key to the conservation and development of sustainable economic activities, such as artisanal fishing and tourism.” 

Temuco will have a new PDA 

The Council of Ministers for Sustainability and Climate Change also ratified an update to the Atmospheric Decontamination Plan (ADP) today for Temuco and Padre Las Casas. The capital of La Araucanía Region has had an ADP for particulate matter (PM) 10 since 2009. The current ADP for PM2.5 and PM10 has been in force since 2015. An updated plan has been in process since 2020. 

The updated final ADP places special emphasis on reducing emissions from home heating, where residential wood burning is the main source of PM2.5. This corresponds to 91% of total emissions from Temuco and Padre Las Casas. 

An external audit concluded that, since the previous ADP came into force up to 2019, there was a 24% reduction in PM2.5 emissions. The audit projected the emissions with the ADP in force and compared it to a scenario in which an ADP had not been applied. 

“With this new ADP, we will increase thermal subsidies from 40,000 to 45,000 units, in addition to improving thermal standards for new homes and those receiving subsidies. Subsidies will also be made available for replacing heaters from 27,000 to 45,000 units, and we will reinforce education and dissemination measures for citizens, with an emphasis on intersectoral coordination,” the environment minister stated. 

The Council of Ministers for Sustainability and Climate Change is a body led by the Environment Ministry. The Treasury, Economy, Energy, Education, Transport, Public Works, Agriculture, Housing, Social Development, Mining and Science ministries all participate on the council. 

Source: Environment Ministry