Patagonia

Rio Pascua (Gary Hughes)

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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.

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.

US retailer The Home Depot is the largest buyer of timber products from the main Chilean interest promoting the dams. The Home Depot has been asked by thousands of people, including socially responsible investors, to stop buying timber from suppliers that plan to destroy the rivers and forests of Patagonia. Our campaign is also focusing on Italian electric utility Enel, the main European partner involved in the project.

Tell Enel to protect Patagonia's Rivers!

D amming rivers in Patagonia is not necessary! Chile is a country with many energy options. Studies by The University of Chile and other experts have found that HidroAysen is not necessary to meet Chile's future energy needs. Investment in more efficient use of electricity, together with renewable sources such as 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.

Check out the Patagonia Campaign Blog for updates!

More information:

Read our Opinion piece on Alternet explaining why The Home Depot should do the right thing
Read the alternative energy study Are Dams in Patagonia Necessary? An Analysis of Chile's Energy Future
Read an interview in the bilingual news paper Altanta Latino--Home Depot en medio de una controversia en la Patagonia chilena
Read our fact sheet about Patagonia's Wild Rivers at Risk
Read the story of our January 2008 Pascua River expedition to learn more about the delicate web of life the proposed dams would destroy
Watch the video of the nationwide day of action in Chile against the dams
Watch the 3 minute slideshow that graphically describes the campaign
Sign up for our Rivers of Patagonia listserv