Ecobreves – CHILE: Last of the Huemul Deer in Danger

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

SANTIAGO, Dec 6 2010 (IPS) - The construction of the Punilla hydroelectric dam in the Chilean region of Biobío poses a threat to some 40 huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus), a type of deer living in that area of central Chile, warn local and foreign environmental groups. According to the activists, the government's project — approved in September — affects two ecosystems rich in biodiversity: the mediterranean scrubland of central Chile and the Valdivia cloud forest, where a small population of this endangered species still survives.

“We are going to present a petition for a stay” against the hydroelectric project, said activist Rodrigo López, head of the huemul conservation unit with the National Committee for the Defense of Fauna and Flora.

He told Tierramérica he believes it is contradictory that the government has presented a national plan to protect the huemul this same year that it gave the green light to the dam.