Patagonia

The Patagonia Campaign supports our partners' efforts to fight dams being proposed on wild rivers throughout Chilean Patagonia--one of the Earth's most treasured wild places. International Rivers participates as a member of the Consejo de Defensa de la Patagonia (CDP, or Patagonia Defense Council) to confront proposals like the HidroAysén project.

The HidroAysén project involves 3 dams on the Pascua River and 2 dams on the Baker River that would flood globally rare forest ecosystems and some of the most productive agricultural land in the Aysén region. (See map).

Electricity from these dams would be sent thousands of kilometers north to serve Chile’s biggest cities and its mammoth copper industry. More than 2,000 kilometers of transmission lines would require one of the world's longest clearcuts--much of it through untouched temperate rainforests found nowhere else on the planet.

While Chile rebounds from a devastating earthquake and adapts to a change in government, the environmental review of HidroAysén has been suspended until the end of October 2010. This breathing room is due to the tireless efforts of river defenders in Chile and around the world. Campaign efforts like last year's push on US retailer The Home Depot helped send the signals that are putting the brakes on this destructive project. Unfortunately, the project proponents are still pushing hard for a political victory that would allow them to advance with the estimated US$7 billion mega-project.

• Check out the Patagonia Campaign Blog for updates!

The international campaign of the Consejo de Defensa de la Patagonia is focusing once again on Italian electric utility Enel, the main European partner involved in HidroAysén. In fact, colleagues from Chile traveled to Italy and Spain recently to take the word to Enel's shareholders and financial sector associates that damming rivers in Patagonia is a risky venture that is simply not necessary!

Chile is a country with many energy options. Studies by The University of Chile and other experts have found that HidroAysén is not necessary to meet Chile's future energy needs. Investment in more efficient use of electricity, together with renewable sources such as solar, geothermal, and wind, would ensure a sustainable energy future for Chile. International Rivers and our partners are calling for the Chilean government and the private sector to support cleaner alternatives and to keep Chile's rivers wild.

LATEST ADDITIONS:

Dams for Patagonia

Ongoing Suspension of HidroAysén Confirms Project Infeasibility

Thousands March in Chile Against Dams in Patagonia

The Beautiful and The Dammed

Patagonia Rising: A Story Too Important Not To Tell

CONTACT US:

Gary Graham Hughes
gary [at] internationalrivers [dot] org