Uruguay
An academic report questions the real estate project next to the Carrasco wetlands
Researchers at the University of the Republic recommended not moving forward with the private initiative in the Carrasco stream basin. They also proposed creating a basin commission with social participation to promote recovery and conservation policies for the wetland.
A report presented at the Faculty of Social Sciences warned about the possible effects of the real estate project promoted by Bislun SAS on plots near the Carrasco wetlands and argued that its impacts should not be assessed only within the intervened area, but across the entire Carrasco stream basin, according to la diaria.
The document was prepared by Juan Alves, Saúl Cerrada, Alicia Migliaro and Marcelo Pérez, members of the Metropolitan Integral Program of the University of the Republic. The work will be sent to the Montevideo Departmental Board, which will have to decide whether or not to approve the declaration of interest for the project.
According to la diaria, the authors argued that it is not advisable to move ahead with a megaproject of urban development such as the one proposed and said that this type of initiative is not in the interest of Montevideo or the Carrasco stream basin. Along those lines, they called for the application of the environmental precautionary principle set out in the General Environmental Law and recommended not introducing this type of development in the area.
The report also proposes creating a basin commission to strengthen public policies with social participation aimed at the recovery and conservation of the wetland. The researchers maintain that the ecosystem must be understood as a hydrological, ecological and social continuum, and stress that changes in adjacent areas can spread through the system’s connectivity.
According to the study cited by la diaria, the Bislun SAS initiative involves transforming 226 hectares of rural land in the Carrasco stream basin to develop residential and commercial developments aimed at high- and middle-income sectors. The analysis also reviews environmental risks, effects in scenarios of extreme climate events, economic and labor impacts, territorial inequalities and international precedents for urban developments in wetlands.
The publication recalled that, last week, the Ministry of Environment added the Carrasco wetlands to the list of wetlands of environmental importance. That protection prevents draining, drying out or carrying out similar works within the 1,485 hectares delimited by the ministry, although that area does not include the plots where the homes are planned.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with assistance from artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this fact.
