Special Report LAST UPDATE May 12, 2010
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February 25, 2010 Peace Boat’s commitment to protecting Patagonia
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The Magellenas Islands, the most southern area of Chilean Patagonia, offer some of the most striking scenery in the country. Unfortunately, the government is keen to exploit the region for its energy potential.

The chance to visit Antarctica and Patagonia was undoubtedly a major lure for many participants who joined Peace Boat's 68th Global Voyage, but the goal in travelling to these spectacular sites was to support the preservation and protection of their endangered environments. For Japanese participants – who live on the complete opposite side of the planet – this was a unique opportunity to learn about global warming and industrial development in ecologically sensitive areas.

The environmental situation in Patagonia is a major concern. The territory has the world’s largest water reserve, after Antarctica and Greenland, yet the Chilean side of the region is at risk of being exploited by major industries – such as mining, energy and fishing. Peace Boat is working with partner NGO the National Committee to Protect the Flora and Fauna of Chile (CODEFF), one of the oldest environmental groups in Chile, to secure international protection for 10,000 sq. km of land.
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Voyage Director Hidaka Shinsuke (centre) says brining participants from Japan to the Patagonia region helps strengthen the campaign to protect the region.

“No other place exists in the world with so many glaciers, mountains and rivers with such pristine water,” says Emilie McGlone, an international coordinator with Peace Boat. Speaking at a press conference in Punta Arenas, she told visitors that Peace Boat and CODEFF are part of the world's largest grassroots environmental network, Friends of the Earth International, which is fighting for Patagonia to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. ENDESA, a Spanish-Italian energy corporation, is just one company that wants to develop hydroelectric projects in the Aysen region and exploit natural resources that have yet to be tapped. Environmentalists argue any development on such sensitive land has a permanent effect.
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Eco-graffiti art in Punta Arenas.
“We’re against all dams, against all these projects they’re proposing in Patagonia,” Ms McGlone says. For three years, Friends of the Earth has collected signatures in support of the campaign, to present to the Chilean government. If successful, the World Heritage declaration would permanently prevent all development in Patagonia. UNESCO already recognises five sites in Chile as World Heritage, including the old city in Valparaiso and Rapa Nui, more commonly known as Easter Island. The UN organisation designated the area of Patagonia belonging to Argentina a World Heritage site in 1981. This global acknowledgement would ensure that all defined territory would have to be preserved under international law. Much of this area is already designated as national park, which guarantees some international recognition, but the Chilean government has the ultimate say in what happens on the land.
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Young environmentalists from three South American countries cooperated with voyage participants on various art and media projects to promote the Patagonia campaign.
The six participants in Peace Boat’s Latin American youth environmental activist programme developed a declaration to push Chile to finally act to protect Patagonia. The government, in alliance with corporations, the document says, is using a “supposed energy crisis” to justify “unsustainable activities:” Mining companies and salmon farms also have devastating effects on the region’s precious environment. This declaration was presented to local media and NGOs attending the press conference. In demanding the World Heritage recognition, the young activists asserted, “We don’t believe development is synonymous with destruction.”