What is the Wetlands Law?

Recently, we were able to observe a series of fires in the country. More specifically, the La Voz website talks about the fact that there were several outbreaks of fires in the province of Córdoba, where there were at least 7 homes and more than 14,000 hectares affected. In addition to the problems at the social level, they also imply damage to the environment.

It is for this reason that the fight for the sanction of a Wetlands Law takes on more and more value. The website Pagína 12 had highlighted that the country's Chamber of Deputies began to debate the law for the protection of wetlands, being the same day that another fire had occurred in the burning of grasslands of the Paraná delta, affecting the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

That is to say, it seems like the right moment for it to begin to be treated, due to the little care that is being taken with respect to the pastures of the country and the frequency with which different regions are burning. Given the possibility that this law could be sanctioned, we decided to find out what structural changes it could generate in the care of the ecosystem.

The wetland law and changes to take care of the environment

The website of La Capital de Rosario showed that the Association of Defenders of the People of the Argentine Republic (ADPRA) joined the request for treatment of the project on the Law of Minimum Budgets for the Protection of Wetlands. That is, to try to preserve the environment in the event of a possible disappearance of these resources.

From that point of view, it is “imperative” to preserve and protect wetlands without the need for a delay. This occurs because the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet are disappearing at a rate three times faster than forests, a rate that has accelerated greatly since 2000.

This situation could also be observed, according to Télam, when some 5,000 people from Santa Fe marched from Rosario to Victoria against the burning in the islands, that is, after the fire in which some 90,000 hectares were burned. Therefore, they asked for an end to this situation, claiming the debt of the Law.

The reasons why the country needs a discussion on this issue appear to be varied. According to what the Marcha website mentions, wetlands are "very important ecosystems at a social, cultural, environmental and economic level." That is, they affect human life.

This is so since Argentina has more than 600,000 square kilometers of wetlands, representing 21.5% of the country's surface … although 80% of the existing ones have disappeared on the planet during the last 300 years. Therefore, some organizations, such as the Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN) or Taller Ecologista, ask for minimum budgets to preserve a respectful treatment with the environment.

Also read: Yungas of northwestern Argentina: biodiversity and water reserve

The Tiempo Argentino website also highlights that it is a "debate for environmental and food sovereignty." The UBA Environmental Sciences expert, Julián Monkes, stressed that wetlands are "great carbon stores", although they are also very fragile ecosystems, so legislation is needed to defend them.

In other words, fires seem to be a common agricultural practice and even recommended for the renovation of pastures, but that needs legislation. Otherwise, damage to the ecosystem could occur that not only damages people's lives, but also that of the environment itself.

In addition, it is a situation that has already been tested in other countries. According to the data proposed by the Chilean Ministry of the Environment, this year the Law that aims to protect Urban Wetlands through sustainability policies came into force. That is, to allocate money to take care of the surface of the fauna and flora that are essential for the life of the planet and the country.

The Profile website highlighted that the specialists were presenting their points of view in the country's Senate. Thus, the Deputy Executive Director and Coordinator of the Biodiversity Area at the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN), Ana Di Pangracio, highlighted that "wetlands disappear faster than forests, even when they capture more carbon than they do."

The Ambito website highlighted that Argentina's own Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Juan Cabandié, insists on the importance of this law being released, since the ministries “allocate millions of pesos to fight fires that should never have occurred. ”. Therefore, it seems like a deal that will help to take care of the environment, avoiding new uncontrolled fires and better managing resources through a minimum budget for the protection of the ecosystem.