El Ciudadano
Original article: Dirigenta kawésqar Leticia Caro acusa que la megarreforma “es una fiesta para la industria salmonera” y denuncia garantías para destruir el mar
“This is a Salmon State”: Kawésqar Community Leader Exposes Pressures to Undermine Indigenous Rights and Expand the Industry
Leticia Caro, president of the Kawésqar Nómades del Mar Indigenous Community, has strongly criticized the mega-reform spearheaded by the government of José Antonio Kast, asserting that it directly benefits the salmon industry. In an interview with Prensa Austral, she stated: “The mega-reform is essentially a feast for the salmon industry (…) It’s designed to provide guarantees for this industry to more easily devastate the ocean.” She added, “We have a salmon state that serves the salmon industry and has worked hard to make everything easier for the company.”
Caro also dismissed the argument that the reform aims to resolve alleged regulatory hurdles while questioning the treatment of indigenous rights within the initiative. “They could not do it correctly because they belong to an industry that doesn’t know how to do anything properly. Thus, the only way was to alter the rights established for indigenous peoples, the minimal rights pertaining to their territories, and they did so through deceit,” she declared to Prensa Austral, accusing them of bypassing legal boundaries to create political agreements that favor the industry.
Regarding the processing of the ECMPO Última Esperanza, which her community has pursued for nearly nine years, Caro pointed out that salmon licenses were granted within the requested area during that time. “We have been requesting ECMPO Última Esperanza for about nine years now. This ECMPO faced legal battles because, after it was accepted for processing, the Subsecretariat of Armed Forces granted licenses to the salmon industry within our application area, which we understand is sanctioned,” she explained, noting that the process progressed mainly by responding to reports of overlap.
When discussing the recognition of customary uses by Conadi, Caro urged that the procedure must adhere to strict standards aligned with ILO Convention 169. “That’s why we have requested that this recognition be conducted in accordance with international norms of Convention 169 to ensure comprehensive security for the officials involved in this recognition. We will be monitoring the process every step of the way,” she added to Prensa Austral. She also defended extending ECMPO requests and explained, “We come from a nomadic people, thus our vocation is to navigate vast expanses. That is why we say these requests are small; they are not large for the territory we have.”
Finally, the Kawésqar leader rejected the notion that the salmon industry could be compatible with the Kawésqar National Reserve and warned about potential political pressures. “We ourselves prepared a scientific report with National Geographic that shows the industry is incompatible with the Kawésqar Reserve. So, what could be the only way to manipulate that? Political lobbying. That’s likely what will happen,” she asserted. Additionally, she defended the existing management plan and criticized the delay in establishing the binding co-management council of the Kawésqar National Park: “It’s been five months, and we still haven’t heard from them.”
Read the full interview at the following link from Prensa Austral:
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