Patagonia without dams

Thousands of people took to the streets in Chile yesterday – 3500 in Santiago alone – to protest against government plans to allow dams to be built in spectacularly beautiful, unspoilt areas of Patagonia.

The proposed damming of the Rio Baker and Rio Pascua by HidroAysen has been debated for quite some time – and the fact that it’s still even a remote possibility is both deeply depressing and profoundly shortsighted…. The spectacularly beautiful landscapes of Patagonian Chile are one of the country’s greatest draw cards for international tourism, and something of which every Chilean can and should be proud. 61% of Chileans are against the idea of building dams here, yet the Chilean government has failed to put a definite halt to the plans so far.

The Chilean government is due to make a decision on the proposed dam-building on May the 16th. Please tweet, retweet, and otherwise spread the word to show solidarity with the people of Chile who do not wish to see their country desecrated by HidroAysen.

http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/node/6461

http://www.patagoniasinrepresas.cl/final/index-en.php>http://www.patagoniasinrepresas.cl

Click here to see images from ILCP Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition to Patagonia.

http://www.thepatagonianfoundation.org/

http://www.thecleanestline.com/2010/04/what-will-be-lost-1.html