Ignorance or Ideological Extremism? The Kast Government’s War on Wetlands Conflicts with Science, Treaties, and Family Safety

Original article: ¿Ignorancia o extremismo ideológico? La guerra del Gobierno de Kast contra los humedales choca con la ciencia, los tratados y la seguridad de las familias The Kast Government’s War on Wetlands: Science Highlights Their Importance and Warns of Destruction Risks A Government That Declared War on Ecosystems The stance of José Antonio Kast’s government against wetlands is not a series of isolated mistakes but rather reflects a clear ideological agenda. Prior to taking office, at a global far-right meeting in Brussels, the President labeled «extreme environmentalism» as one of the «isms» threatening democracy, alongside feminism and indigenous movements, according to Radio Diario Uchile.

In that meeting, he argued that these currents «prioritize nature over the centrality of the person. » This statement is not mere rhetoric; it is the conceptual framework justifying the deregulation of ecosystem protection like wetlands, despite Chile being a signatory to the Ramsar Convention since 1981. “Goodbye Environmental Guidelines”: The President’s Crusade Against Permitting In September 2025, during the Southern Business Encounter (EESUR-2025) in Valdivia, then-candidate Kast expressed his harshest slogan: “Goodbye environmental guidelines.

” According to reports from the event, Kast mocked the protection of species, stating that a bureaucrat «if he likes a thing, throws away the guideline to protect little spiders. If he likes birds, he discards the guideline to protect the birds» (EESUR-2025, 12/15/2025). This language degrades conservation to a bureaucratic whim, revealing a profound disdain for the role of wetlands as water regulators.

Poduje: The Minister Who Blames the Law On April 28, 2026, Housing Minister Iván Poduje sparked controversy by blaming the Urban Wetlands Law (N° 21. 202) for delays in housing projects in Valdivia. “Is eight years reasonable, for this madness made by this senator?

” he questioned, alluding to Alfonso de Urresti (PS). Although he later offered formal apologies for his tone, he maintained his core argument: “The law has problems,” he stated, announcing he would seek to “resolve those issues to provide housing. ” Hours later, President Kast supported his minister from Rancagua: “The dream of owning a home has become distant.

We need to recover it, and that’s why the minister has proposed ideas that sometimes seem disruptive. ” Kast added that there are “areas that are objectively not wetlands” and concluded: “Let’s always start from the person. ” The President failed to mention that Valdivia was declared a “Wetland City” in 2025 by the Ramsar Convention’s Permanent Committee, a milestone that requires protecting these ecosystems.

Science and the Opportunity to Get Things Right Former Environment Minister Marcelo Mena was decisive in analyzing the Valdivia case. “It is clear that the conversation is not based on real information,” he told Radio Diario Universidad de Chile (04-28-2026). Mena reminded that the wetlands in question have been protected since 2021, so it does not correlate that the law is causing an eight-year delay.

Furthermore, he warned: “Building housing or infrastructure on these urban wetlands has caused greater flooding, and this is documented. ” A publication in El Desconcierto on April 29, 2026, documented that Valdivia’s Municipal Regulatory Plan, in effect since 1988, designates wetlands as “natural flood areas. ” Scientist Olga Barbosa simulated five scenarios for 2080 and concluded that “as wetland loss increases, so does the volume of flooding and the duration the water remains in the territory.

” Evelyn Habit, an academic from the University of Concepción, illustrated: “Flooding in Concepción occurs because the city was built in wetland areas. ” The Paicaví Case: The Minister Celebrates While the Community Alerts In early April 2026, the Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) of Biobío approved the “Fuentes de Aníbal Pinto” project, involving 19 buildings over the Paicaví Wetland in Concepción. The decision ignored objections.

Ironically, the regional environmental minister, Mario Delannays Araya –a Kast government official– celebrated the approval (Contexto ciudadano, April 2026). Environmental organizations denounced “cumulative impacts and loss of biodiversity. ” Lack of Education or Neoliberal Overflow?

President Kast is a lawyer and enforces the Ramsar Convention in Chile; the country was elected to the Permanent Committee of this treaty in 2025. However, his comments, those of Poduje, and Delannays’s actions reveal a pattern: prioritizing real estate business over science and public safety. As stated by Patricio Herman, president of the Defend the City Foundation, “Poduje loves to clash with everyone,” according to Radio Universidad de Chile.

This is not ignorance. It is a hyper-ideologized neoliberal excess, disguised as a «housing solution,» that sows seeds for future disasters. Wetlands: Essential Ecosystems for Biodiversity These ecosystems are not only biodiversity refuges, but they also provide essential services for the survival of humans and all life on Earth.

They regulate water, prevent flooding, purify air and water, and are fundamental for economic activities like fishing and tourism. Over a billion people globally directly depend on them for their livelihoods. Yet, their significance continues to be underestimated, and their destruction is advancing at an alarming rate.

In the past 50 years, the planet has lost 35% of its wetlands. This degradation is largely due to human activities like intensive agriculture, uncontrolled urbanization, pollution, and overexploitation of resources. Additionally, climate change alters natural water cycles and accelerates the loss of these ecosystems.

One of the biggest challenges is the lack of education and awareness about the value of wetlands. Historically, they have been viewed as barren, unproductive, and dispensable land. This misconception has led to their drainage and conversion into agricultural or development lands.

However, wetlands are not just water and mud; they are sources of life, jobs, and ecosystem services that sustain entire communities. It is notable that globally, the Ramsar Convention exists as an international agreement signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, promoting the conservation and rational use of wetlands. Chile has 16 wetlands designated as Ramsar Sites of International Importance, covering over 361,000 hectares.

These include the Monkul wetland in Araucanía and the Limarí River wetland, added in 2020. Additionally, Chile hosts high Andean wetlands such as bofedales and vegas, and coastal wetlands like estuaries and marshes. Unfortunately, these ecosystems face serious threats from extractive activities, real estate projects, and judicial decisions that remove their protected status.

Though Chile has made significant strides, such as the Urban Wetlands Protection Law, much remains to be done. Rural wetlands continue to fall victim to industrial extraction and real estate interventions, while urban wetlands face constant pressures from city growth. The lack of precise data about their extent and conservation status further complicates their protection.

The ignorance surrounding wetlands is not coincidental. Their ecological complexity and diversity in forms—such as peatlands in Chiloé and Patagonia—make them challenging to study and categorize. Moreover, their importance is not always evident at first glance.

For instance, a wetland may appear as a mere swamp, yet it acts as a natural filter that purifies water and stores carbon, helping to mitigate climate change. In 2017, the Ministry of the Environment shared the following figures: A total of 1,460,400 hectares encompass approximately 18,000 wetlands in the country. According to a survey by the Ministry of the Environment, they are primarily located in the regions of Aysén (444,200 ha), Magallanes (288,600 ha), and Los Ríos (129,300 ha).

-29,500 ha of wetlands are concentrated on the island of Chiloé. -6,600 ha of these ecosystems exist in Valparaíso, the region with the least area and the most coastal real estate pressure. – 1.

93% of the national territory is concentrated in wetlands.