Waterkeepers El Chaltén is an activist program based in El Chaten's watershed, the source of one of the largest 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.
Join Waterkeepers El Chaltén
We build and make information visible in community
From Boana we want to facilitate the access to public information related to water management. We elaborate thematic maps to synthesize knowledge and untangle the game of the actors in charge of water management. We seek to demonstrate the need for transparent coordination between actors to solve the socio-environmental problems of the watershed.
We seek and promote good water management practices
We create 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.
Individual and collective actions are necessary to consolidate the defense of the common good and reconfigure our relationship with this element.
Support for environmental justice
We support environmental protections by providing information, coordinating and looking for international cases to consolidate the application of socio-environmental rights.
We support judicial cases to cese environmental contamination from the water treatment plant.
Citizen monitoring through the app
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.
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.
