Senator Gladys González (Together for Change) scheduled for today, Tuesday, October 31 at 4:00 p.m., an informative meeting on the Bill for the Creation of the BENTHONIC MARINE PROTECTED AREA "BLUE HOLE" ON THE ARGENTINE CONTINENTAL SHELF. (File CD-14/22).
The call excluded the Ministry of Defense , the Foreign Ministry , and the Secretary of Energy of the Nation ; to specialists such as Dr. César Augusto Lerena and to the Malvinas ex-combatants' entities , which severely compromises the availability of strategic resources of the country and the Sovereignty.
The bill for the creation of the Blue Hole Marine Protected Area (AMP-AA) presented by National Representative Graciela Caamaño ; was written entirely by researchers from the international conservation NGO WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society - New York, United States).
The importance of the Strict Benthic Marine National Reserve #AgujeroAzul is based on the need to prevent the continuity and increase of bottom trawling in the area and the expansion of the hydrocarbon frontier, and contribute to mitigating climate change. pic.twitter.com/ZzPHBMF4G6
— WCS Argentina (@wcsargentina) July 6, 2022
The real intention of the WCS is to BLOCK Argentine fishing exploitation , a fact that will not legally apply to foreign companies and fleets; and PREVENT the development of Round 2 of the country's offshore process ; and the possibility of extracting mineral resources (eg, polymetallic nodules ), since these areas overlap 100% (see figure 1).
Furthermore, the alleged project lacks scientific foundation. It says that it is created to protect marine biodiversity, through a Strict Benthic Protected Area (Bed and Subsoil), where sedentary species live there. The scientific field still debates whether they are affected by trawling. According to scientific reports, Argentina does not have significant impacts caused by trawling .
IMPACT REGARDING THE MALVINAS
The bill, on the other hand, includes an area that is in dispute with the United Kingdom, which could generate a negative impact on foreign policy . A mirror situation could occur: the United Kingdom could order the same measure, and that could affect the country's claim to the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia Islands, the South Sandwich Islands and the corresponding maritime spaces that surround them. That is, the spaces maritime and insular areas that correspond to the Argentine Republic, as established by the National Constitution.
Nor does it specify budgets allocated to carry out the protection of the area, nor does it say how investigations and control will be financed.
Before declaring a strict protected area, today the country should focus more on investigating the Blue Hole in depth and doing a better survey of the resources there and then making decisions.
On the other hand, it is important to mention that WCS (the NGO promoting the Project) has activities both in continental Argentina and at sea and even in the Malvinas.
In fact, WCS "owns" two islands in the Malvinas Archipelago : "Wild West or Steeple Jason" and "Wild East Island or Grand Jason". Lands purchased from the illegal and illegitimate Government of the United Kingdom on the Islands.
According to themselves, they manage them as private nature reserves and "work with the local government" to protect the entire Area.
WHO IS WCS?
