VZCZCXYZ0003
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0102/01 0301603
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301603Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0132
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 6674
RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 6791
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 6989
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 1013

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000102 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR WHA/BSC and OES/PCI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV EAGR AR
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS IN ARGENTINA BRINGS NEW RESOURCES, 
CHALLENGES 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  The Argentine public is paying attention to 
environmental issues like never before, but measurable progress has 
been lacking to date.  Argentina faces several major environmental 
challenges: overexploitation of its land resources, which leads to 
deforestation, desertification, and a loss of biodiversity; rapid 
urbanization, accompanied by increased pollution and the threat of 
climate change; and irresponsible use of its water resources, 
through overexploitation of fisheries and pollution of freshwater 
sources.  The federal government has outlined ambitious new 
environmental plans, but some argue these have eroded the ability to 
deal with problems on the local and provincial level.  Legislators 
have passed hundreds of environmental laws, but many of those laws 
are ill-conceived and few of them include provisions for 
implementation and enforcement.  Protestors attract news by blocking 
bridges to Uruguay over the Botnia paper mill, but they reject most 
any report that says the mill is not polluting and neglect to 
protest very dirty mills further upstream and elsewhere in 
Argentina.  Encouragingly, corporate social responsibility efforts 
and private sector conservation projects have achieved some real 
results.  Major increases in tourist traffic, while presenting a new 
set of environmental challenges, have also occasioned new 
opportunities for sustainable development and environmental 
progress.  End Summary. 
 
------------------------ 
EARTH, WIND, AND...WATER 
------------------------ 
 
¶2. (U) Argentina is so vast, and seems so empty, that it is almost 
surprising that the land is vulnerable to overexploitation. 
According to the NGO Vida Silvestre, the World Wildlife Fund's 
Argentine affiliate, more than 80% of Argentine territory is used 
for agriculture, animal husbandry, and forestry.  Land conservation 
is consequently a key priority of environmentalists.  Approximately 
6.8% of Argentine territory is currently protected with an 
impressive system of national parks; however, 44% of protected areas 
are not monitored or controlled at all.  Experts at a World Bank 
conference on sustainable development called Argentina a "green 
desert," acknowledging that overexploitation of the land is 
contributing to desertification in many areas.  The survival of 
native forests is also a major concern, with deforestation occurring 
at a rate of approximately 250,000 hectares per year.  Argentina's 
biodiversity is further threatened as many plant and animal species 
lose their native habitat. 
 
¶3. (U) Argentina's air emissions remain low in comparison to other 
countries, but climate change has gained the attention of 
Argentina's scientists and environmentalists.  Although Argentina 
may not be a major part of the problem, climate change could have 
devastating effects on Argentina.  The western regions rely heavily 
on snowmelt from the Andes to provide the water resources they need, 
while weather changes in the Rio de la Plata basin would likely 
contribute to an increase in natural disasters like floods. 
Argentine environmentalists are also conscious of the fact that 
Argentina's rapid urban expansion is contributing to a rise in 
pollution of all kinds, including emissions. 
 
¶4. (U) Since Argentina's "fishery boom" in the 1990s, 
overexploitation of fisheries has seriously depleted ocean species 
such as hake, and freshwater species such as river herring. One of 
the starkest examples of the effect of pollution on freshwater 
resources is in the city of Buenos Aires, which is bisected by the 
Riachuelo River.  Approximately 3.5 million people live in the river 
basin, but only 45% have sewers and only 65% have access to potable 
water.  In addition, more than 800 factories dump their waste 
directly into the river. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
PUBLIC AWARENESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES SOARS 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶5. (SBU) Environmental consciousness has been rising significantly 
among average Argentine citizens.  A recent poll distributed to 
8,000 Argentine youths through the collaborative efforts of several 
NGOs and government agencies found that the environment is the issue 
of greatest concern to young Argentines today.  NGOs such as 
Greenpeace reportedly collected a million signatures on a petition 
presented to the Argentine Congress and led major rallies in late 
2007 in support of legislation aimed at curtailing logging in native 
forests (which was passed).  Argentines have clearly begun to worry 
about the environmental health of their homeland. 
 
¶6. (SBU) In one of the most publicly visible environmental cases of 
the year, a protest movement has strongly objected to the 
construction of the Botnia pulp mill on the River Uruguay, alleging 
 
it will cause environmental, olfactory, and visual pollution in what 
they contend is a sensitive ecological and tourist area.  However, 
the environmental impact of the plant is controversial.  Most 
analysts agree with the IFC's comprehensive cumulative impact study, 
reviewed by independent experts, which concludes that the mills 
"compare favorably with best available technology and best 
environmental practice for mills in Europe and North America" and 
that "there should be no significant deterioration in the air and 
water quality in the area."  In fact, many observers predict that 
the Botnia plant will have a net positive effect on the cleanliness 
of the river -- in addition to scrubbing its own wastewater, the 
Botnia operator has reportedly offered to treat the wastewater of a 
nearby town, as well as waste products emanating from an existing 
pulp plant.  There are currently ten Argentine paper mills operating 
with older and more polluting technology than that to be employed by 
Botnia. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment:  This relatively new public interest in 
environmental issues bodes well for Argentina's future.  Although 
most Argentines have only superficial knowledge of environmental 
issues, they are beginning to pay attention.  Grassroots efforts 
have focused attention on key environmental problems, such as 
deforestation.  The downside of the new environmental buzz is an 
unfortunate tendency towards fear-mongering.  NGO Vida Silvestre's 
Diego Moreno noted that the Argentine public is far more focused on 
negative issues -- pollution, contamination, and disaster -- than 
positive issues like conservation and biodiversity.  The Botnia pulp 
mill protests are a perfect example of this phenomenon: the public's 
interest in preserving the river is positive, but both the methods 
of the protestors and their claims about the environmental impact of 
the mill are open to question, to say the least. 
 
--------------------------------- 
THE GOA EMBRACES A POPULAR ISSUE 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The 2006 appointment of the energetic Romina Picolotti as 
the Secretary of the Environment by Nestor Kirchner has given the 
Environment Secretariat a higher profile and more clout within the 
administration.  Picolotti was a leading protestor of the Botnia 
pulp mill, and her appointment seemed to be the GOA's direct 
response to the public's fascination with the issue. With a larger 
budget, the Environment Secretariat has increased the number of 
uniformed environmental inspectors from three to 250 during 
Picolotti's tenure.  While this is an obvious improvement, these 
figures also show how far things have to go to reach an acceptable 
level of oversight in a country as large as Argentina.  In addition, 
some observers believe that the higher profile of the Secretary of 
the Environment has resulted in an erosion of environmental 
authority on the provincial level.  Sebastian Bigorito, President of 
the Argentine Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEADS), 
believes that the emphasis on federal solutions at the expense of 
local solutions has led to a "loss of institutional quality" at the 
local level. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Environmental issues are "fashionable" among Argentine 
legislators at the moment, Bigorito told Emboff.  But despite the 
huge increase in the number of environmental bills introduced in 
2007 (approximately 350, compared with a few dozen five years ago), 
legislators have little knowledge of the issues at stake.  "They 
believe that environmental problems can be legislated away," says 
Bigorito.  However, the infrastructure for applying and enforcing 
most environmental laws does not exist.  Monica Gabay, an official 
in the Forestry Bureau of the Secretary of the Environment, agreed 
that most such legislation has "no accountability" and little chance 
of effective implementation.  The GOA and provinces took a real step 
forward in May with the creation of Argentina's first prosecutorial 
office dedicated to tackling cases of environmental crime (Reftel). 
Part of the prosecutors' mandate is to train provincial officials, 
very few of whom have had any experience fighting environmental 
crime.  That office has only 18 prosecutors, and it has yet to 
secure a conviction, but it is a beginning. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
PRIVATE SECTOR EFFORTS LEAD TO REAL GAINS 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Environmental developments in the private sector are more 
promising.  An increasing number of companies -- especially large, 
international corporations -- have incorporated environmental and 
sustainable development commitments into their business models. 
American companies such as Dow, Dupont, Monsanto, Ford, and Unilever 
are all members of CEADS.  That organization's president, Sebastian 
Bigorito, says that the "evolution" of environmental consciousness 
among many companies has led to greater "eco-efficiency" -- the 
 
responsible use of natural resources -- among other positive 
measures. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Private sector emphasis on environmental sustainability 
has also led to an increase in the number of students electing to 
specialize in environmental studies.  Environmentally focused 
positions in NGOs, large corporations, and international 
organizations are coveted by young Argentines, according to Maria 
del Carmen Galloni, Director of Environmental Studies at UCES 
university.  Galloni told Emboff that greater numbers of engineers, 
lawyers, and consultants of all kinds are enrolling in specialized 
environmental graduate and post-graduate programs at the university, 
and attributed the growth of the program to greater environmental 
awareness. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
INCREASING TOURISM HAS A (MOSTLY) POSITIVE IMPACT 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶12. (SBU) Tourism in Argentina has skyrocketed in recent years, 
increasing 115% between 1990 and 2006.  Eco-tourism is particularly 
popular.  Secretary of Tourism Carlos Enrique Meyer noted that 34% 
of visitors to Argentina's national parks are foreigners.  Although 
increased tourist traffic can put stress on delicate ecosystems, the 
tourism boom has had numerous positive results.  The GOA has 
developed a Strategic National Plan for Sustainable Tourism, which 
includes provisions to increase protected land areas by 10% by 2015. 
 However, even the most famous tourist attractions remain 
vulnerable.  For example, the international press recently reported 
that the famous Iguazu Falls area is being polluted by untreated 
wastewater that is dumped directly into the river. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Tourism provides "an interesting opportunity" for 
conservation efforts, says Diego Moreno of Vida Silvestre.  The fame 
of national treasures like Perito Moreno Glacier and Iguazu Falls 
draws attention to important environmental issues and teaches 
Argentines to value their natural heritage.  The burgeoning 
popularity of eco-tourism and adventure tourism has also allowed 
private land-owners to use their land in non-traditional ways. 
Tourist dollars (or euros) provide an incentive to preserve land for 
activities such as trekking, horse-back riding, rafting, 
hang-gliding, and guesthouses, rather than exploit the land for 
other types of economic gain. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) The current environmental situation in Argentina inspires 
both hope and frustration in the growing group of individuals who 
are paying attention.  The most promising developments are the 
efforts of dedicated and knowledgeable NGOs and a growing 
environmental consciousness in the private sector.  Frustrations 
arise from the extravagant but unimplemented environmental promises 
of legislators and the Secretary of Environment, which will likely 
remain unfulfilled unless the GOA develops mechanisms to enforce its 
laws and carry out its projects.  Ultimately, if environmental 
issues continue to hold the attention of the average Argentine 
citizen, then the future of the environment in Argentina will look 
brighter.