Community halts destruction of ravine in Bosque Panul
Following the complaint filed by various organizations yesterday — due to the destruction of a ravine in Bosque Panul — an on-site meeting was held today with those responsible for the work, where community participation was crucial in stopping the advance of the machines.
Today at 12:00 an on-site meeting was called to assess the damage caused by the excavators that on June 21, 2017, destroyed a large part of a ravine in Bosque Panul, removing native trees and shrubs and the fauna they shelter. The meeting was attended by the SEREMI of the Ministry of Public Works, the person in charge of the contract at the Dirección de Obras Hidráulicas, the head of the contracting company, and many residents. Although municipal security personnel arrived first thing in the morning (complete with a truck and a wood chipper), no representative of the municipality was present.
On the ground it was confirmed that the ravine was fully stabilized and did not require this type of work — acknowledging that intervening in a ravine of this nature had been a mistake. By removing the native trees and shrubs and leaving the soil bare, the risk of landslides and flooding was increased.
Following this, and thanks to the pressure from residents, the MOP committed to not continuing the works and to establishing a working group between the Municipality, the Community, and the MOP, to determine how to clean the debris and rubbish from the ravine without the need for such violent intervention.
The authorities present confirmed that it was the current mayor of La Florida, Rodolfo Carter, who requested these works through an official letter. In other words, Carter not only publicly lies about a supposed "protection" of Panul — he requests other agencies to destroy it. We consider that, following this serious attack, the mayor should issue a public apology and step aside.
The damage caused to Bosque Panul by the mayor and the MOP has already been done. It is to be hoped that the 36 million pesos allocated to carry out this work are used to recover and reforest the destroyed ravine, install signs, and develop a park in Panul.
We call on everyone to remain alert and not rest until the forest is recovered and protected. That is why this coming July 9 we invite everyone to help reforest the affected ravine. With our hands we will reverse the damage caused, and demonstrate that we stand firm in preventing the destruction of this valuable ecosystem.
Red por la Defensa de la Precordillera.
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