La Tercera | A Zero-Sum Logic

MR. DIRECTOR:

Many of the claims filed by real estate and construction companies against the declaration of Urban Wetlands relate to alleged violations of property rights and restrictions on the commercial use of land adjacent to these protected areas.

Is wetland protection an obstacle to productive and economic development? Asking this question is pointless, as it seeks to confront two dimensions that are highly relevant to the well-being of society as a whole, without considering the possibility of a convergence of purposes, which requires greater effort and, above all, willpower.

This false dichotomy between conservation and development can be overcome when we approach urban planning and development projects using Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) approaches. A comprehensive approach is needed from the very design of the project, incorporating nature as an opportunity to generate resilient infrastructure and reconciling infrastructure with the environmental and cultural realities of the place, ensuring the ecological, social, and economic sustainability of the city.

Letter to the editor from Diego Urrejola, executive director of the Cosmos Foundation