President Gabriel Boric has launched the long-awaited Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service (SBAP) in an activity held on Cerro la Campana, as part of the new Law for Nature. He was joined by Environment Minister Maisa Rojas and Agriculture Minister Esteban Valenzuela.
The activity took place as part of National Environment Day. The service is of the utmost importance, as it will allow us to address the triple environmental crisis of climate, pollution and biodiversity loss affecting the planet and, consequently, Chile.
As President Boric explained, the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service will make it possible to directly address two of these crises – biodiversity and climate. It will provide the country with an institution in charge of caring for biodiversity and managing protected natural areas in an integrated manner.
The crisis of biodiversity loss constitutes one the three main global risks indicated by the World Economic Forum in its Global Risks Report 2022. According to figures from the Environment Ministry, half of Chile’s ecosystems and two-thirds of its species are threatened with survival.
“With this law, we will be able to better address the care of diversity and the loss of species and natural habitats; because we are happy here, but we are under threat, and we have to act in the face of threats. We will solve problems with the duplication of functions, lack of patrols and monitoring that were previously somewhat uncoordinated,” Gabriel Boric, President of Chile.
Chile also has 18 species classified as “extinct”, according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria.
One example is the Pingo Pingo (Ephedra chilensis), a shrub endemic to Chile, specifically the central zone, which reached two meters in height and had thin and flexible branches. A few months ago, specialists confirmed that the Pingo Pingo was extinct.
Biodiversity conservation is also key to climate change mitigation and adaptation, which has become evident in recent years as a growing threat to human well-being. Biodiversity conservation and protection are crucial for maintaining ecosystem services, such as climate regulation, through carbon capture and sequestration, soil fertility maintenance and water provision.
Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service (SBAP) and its benefits
The environment minister stressed that approval of the initiative will increase the annual budget allocated to environmental institutions by almost 58%. It will also enhance private participation in the management of protected areas and double the number of park rangers.
Furthermore, it will allow a more efficient use of resources. Under the current distribution, there is a multiplicity of institutions, officials and patrols, uncoordinated monitoring, and a duplication of vehicles, tools and instruments, among other things.
The creation of the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service (SBAP) will involve all protected areas managed by the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) being transferred to the SBAP, as well as financial and personnel resources, thus safeguarding labor rights. The SBAP will therefore be built from the knowledge accumulated by CONAF over decades. It will, however, strongly enhance financial and human resources.
It will also recognize the contribution of private protected areas to conservation, integrating them into the National System of State-Protected Wildlife Areas (SNASPE). This involves the SBAP supervising the administration of privately-owned protected areas, providing support and offering incentives, such as tax exemptions.