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El Impenetrable (photo courtesy of National Parks Administration)
A new national park has been created in El Impenetrable forest in the province of Chaco. The 128,000-hectare reserve will protect native forest as well as endangered animal species such as the yaguareté, tatú carreta, and crowned solitary eagle.
The law creating the national park was passed by the Lower House of Congress on Wednesday night, by 225 votes to one. The initiative was sponsored by a group of NGOs led by Banco de Bosques and mineral water company Villavicencio, who worked with the province of Chaco and the national state.
The campaign, called ‘Deja tu Huella: Una Reserva por más Reservas‘ (‘Leave your Footprint: A Reserve for More Reserves’), managed to raise the money necessary to pay for the land where the national park is now located, part of a ranch called ‘La Fidelidad‘. Donations came from the national and provincial states, private companies, and individuals.
“Yesterday’s was a great night, after a great campaign,” said Emiliano Ezcurra, Director of Banco de Bosques, on Thursday. “It all began with the murder of the landowner.”
Manuel Roseo, owner of La Fidelidad, was brutally killed on 13th January 2011 by a criminal organisation which was seeking to keep his 250,000-hectare property. Three men were sentenced to life in prison for his murder last year.
With the support of the National Parks Administration and NGOs, the Chaco legislature passed a law in December 2011 expropriating the area of La Fidelidad located within the province (part of it is located in neighbouring Formosa). At the same time, it created a trust fund to collect the money which was used to compensate Roseo’s heirs for the expropriation. In November 2013, the land was transferred by the province of Chaco to the national state.
The new El Impenetrable National Park will be managed by the National Parks Administration. The area is home to plant and animal species such as red and white lapachos, anteaters, tapirs, and a great variety of birds.
The post Chaco: New National Park Created in El Impenetrable appeared first on The Argentina Independent.
