These organizations highlight that the decree to regulate the law was a “first step”, but “it doesn’t establish one of the main elements needed for its effective enforcement: the definition of priority areas to be included in the National Glacier Inventory, since banned activities, like mining, are carried out in these areas.”

In addition, the environmentalist groups state that the regulation of the law doesn’t establish a timeline for the inventory, which is contradicting with what the law itself establishes, that is to include certain areas in the inventory before April.

According to Juan José Mussi, Environment and Sustainable Development Secretary, the complete study about glaciers, basins and sub-basins will be ready in five years, which will have serious consequences according to the environmentalist organizations.

“They are delaying the assessments on activities that are currently being carried out and could be affecting glaciers that should be included in the inventory in Summer. If the inventory isn’t carried out during summer, it could be delayed for a year more”, the organizations say. They also regret the fact that the Argentinian authorities didn’t call for a participatory process to regulate the law.

ComAmbiental reports that the president of the Association of Environmentalist Lawyers, Enrique Viale, said that the regulation is a result of the protests held against Canadian mining company Barrick Gold in San Juan Province, Argentina.

In these protests held last week, fifty Greenpeace activists who were mobilizing to denounce Barrick’s active opposition to the Glaciers Law were arrested.

This Thursday, socio-environmentalist organizations, academics and artists will hold a press conference at the House of Representatives to discuss the need to protect glaciers.

Photo: http://puntualizando.com