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Guardians of the Watershed El Chaltén is an activist program based in El Chaltén, the source of one of the largest solid freshwater reserves in the world.  

 

The program combines citizen observations, graphic activism and advocacy initiatives to access environmental information. 

We develop strategies to implement the Escazú Regional Agreement on  Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

We defend World Heritage waters 

Application to disseminate  citizen observations 

We encourage the use of tools to access  public information and integrate community knowledge for planning and water conservation.

 

We developed a pilot application so that residents and visitors can transmit their observations on the risks of threats to water 

 - such as spills of substances, odors, illegal construction, environmental anomalies, etc. The marked points are publicly disseminated on a regularly updated map available on our website.

Demand active transparency from institutions 

To protect our beautiful territory and the common good that is fresh water, we need to understand and monitor the ecological state of the ecosystems that make up and surround El Chaltén.

We request the institutions responsible for the transmission of public information to interested citizens, in application of the regulations and in accordance with the environmental rights of all.

Make visible the protection of aquatic ecosystems

We mobilize graphic activism during public events in order to 

visibilize water management challenges and opportunities in El Chaltén. 

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Call For Action 

Llamado a la Acción

Download our Call for Action   for a transparent and participatory water governance in El Chaltén, Los Glaciares National Park.

Let us protect the waters, emblem of the commons, in the Glacier National Park, pillar of the water cycle.

Financed by Rivers for Change 

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Download the application for citizen observation of the waters

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Guardianes de la Cuenca

We build and make information visible to the community. 

From Boana we want to facilitate the dissemination of public information on the environment and rebalance the current balance of power, offering new spaces to the community of El Chaltén to ensure that their socio-environmental rights are being respected. 

 

We monitor public policies in order to ensure the implementation of prior consultation mechanisms. Through the mobilization of legal tools to access information and ensure participation in environmental issues, we compile fundamental information to understand the impacts of hydroelectric projects and tourism infrastructure within the protected areas.

 

We seek to highlight the need for transparent coordination between actors to solve the socio-environmental problems of the sub-basins in relation to water management. 

We promote good water management practices

Individual and collective actions are necessary to consolidate the defense of the common good and reconfigure our relationship with this element.

Boana creates spaces for dialogue to promote the emergence of good practices. We disseminate inspiring actions to be able to think about a desirable future around the protection of aquatic ecosystems. 

Supporting environmental justice 

We provide support to environmental lawsuits by facilitating information, coordinating and seeking international cases to consolidate the recognition of socio-environmental rights.

We actively support the collective environmental protection of the Fitz Roy and Las Vueltas Rivers by mobilizing citizens, requesting information and calling for the cessation of contamination. 


We accompany local legal innovations, promoting the concrete implementation of ecocentric rights recently recognized by provincial judicial authorities.

Citizen monitoring through the app

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We created a citizen monitoring device to allow reporting situations of environmental risk or direct threats to the waters of the region. Download the app ArcGis Survey 123 or Click here to join the Cuenca Guardians network. Once installed, scan the QR code or click the link above again.

If you have any questions, consult our tutorial or download the instructions. 

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Sanitary alert in El Chaltén

The inhabitants of El Chaltén, local environmental associations, health center professionals and CONICET researchers are warning about the environmental consequences of tourism overload. In this small Patagonian town nestled in Los Glaciares National Park, at the foot of the most famous peaks in the world, the community warns about water contamination and the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria caused by poor wastewater management by the state-owned company SPSE.

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Association Law of July 1, 1901

Head office: 3, Impasse du Peyrou - 09000 Foix, Ariège, France

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