MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Punta Arenas brief News

ENAP drilling in Puerto Natales; Overweight infants; Chileans return to Patriot Hill; Air rates increase; Foreign affairs expert; “Nathaniel Palmer” leaves Punta Arenas; Agreement to protect Antarctica; Sherman tank for Magallanes; Salmon farming boom; Antibiotic experiment with plants...

ENAP drilling in Puerto Natales

ENAP, Chile's oil company will attempt to recover natural gas wells and drill new ones in the Esperanza basin fifty miles to the south of Puerto Natales, according to Prensa Austral from Punta Arenas. In two wells that are rapidly becoming commercially non productive ENAP will try a new technique of rock fracturing with high pressure sand blasting that should help natural gas to continue to filter upwards and make once again profitable. Besides in early November ENAP will be drilling in the area new well Esperanza 4, that it expects should deliver positive results in December or early January. The purpose of the undertaking is to ensure the supply of natural gas to Puerto Natales that is dependent from a couple of wells in the Tranquilo basin. "We're optimistic and have two years ahead of us, but if the Esperanza basin proves insufficient to supply Puerto Natales, we'll have to look for other options", said ENAP Magallanes General Manager Raúl León.

Overweight infants

An estimated 38% of infants that is pre-Junior school children have weight problems according to Magallanes Medical Services, Dr. Jorge Flies. The report that covers the whole of Chile and was done in 2000 and 2001 indicates that 25,1% of Magallanes infants are overweight, and 13,1% have obesity symptoms, making it the worst record of the country. Overweight is considered when children have 10% over their average weight, and obesity when over 20%. With these figures in hand Magallanes health officials have launched a "I want to be a healthy child" campaign in all kinder gardens, where by means of drawings, pictures and songs infants are attracted to good feeding habits. "Before the children reach six years of age is the ideal moment to teach how and what to feed", said Dr. Flies. A simultaneous campaign involving parents distributing literature and inviting them to seminars and conferences has been launched. "We recommend fresh food such as vegetables, fish and open range chickens, and please avoid excesses of flour, sugar and sweets in general. No second helpings and keep to a strict timetable. Sports in and outside of their homes is also highly recommended", stressed Dr. Flies.

Chileans return to Patriot Hill

The Chilean Air Force will resume operations in the Patriot Hills region in Antarctica, one of the remotest camps of the Chilean Antarctic effort. Patriot Hills, 80 degrees South 3,000 kilometres away and six hours flight from Punta Arenas in a Hercules also lodges an Adventure Network camp, plus other scientific research activities for Chilean universities and military institutions. Magallanes University is researching glaciers; the Chilean Military Geographic Institute is completing charts of the area; the University of Chile weather forecasting and potential drinking water reserves. The Camp was temporarily closed last year because of Air Force budget cuts, but this year activities are expected to officially resume November 15th. However most of the Camp and scientists will be arriving during October. Chilean Air Force reported that two Twin Otters will be acting as support transport for the Patriot Hills operation.

"The New York Times" blooper

Buenos Aires daily La Nación dedicated one of last week's main editorials to correct a recent piece by the The New York Times correspondent in Argentina who wrote that a "silent majority" in Patagonia are willing to break off from the rest of the country. La Nación describes the article as an involuntary mis-interpretation of a survey, with a certain degree of idleness to check sources. Apparently the NYT wrote that according to a recent poll, 53% of Patagonian inhabitants wanted to secede from Argentina and that if this happened, Patagonia would become a scarcely populated country (5% of Argentina's 37 million) but with almost half of Argentina's territory, significant reserves of drinking water, hydraulic energy and 80% of oil and natural gas reserves. However the conclusions were incorrectly interpreted from a survey indicating that 49,7% of the Rio Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, Neuquen and Tierra del Fuego provinces population favoured creating an only region or province, while another 46,7% replied negatively. In that survey the possibility of ceding territories to pay for the Argentine foreign debt was also asked and 75% of those interviewed rejected any transaction regarding the country's rights over Antarctica and 88,4% declared themselves openly against paying provincial debts with fiscal land. La Nación finally points out that one thing is to consider the proposal of regionalizing the area in this case Patagonia, and another completely different to spread world wide that a "silent majority" in Patagonia is seriously thinking about seceding. But besides the mistake of the NYT correspondent, the fact is that Patagonian residents feel once again, and with reason, that they are being abandoned by national governments, concludes La Nación.

Air rates increase

Air rates between Río Gallegos and Buenos Aires jumped 40% at the end of September according to travel agencies in Punta Arenas. Air rates from Río Gallegos are now 137,000 Chilean pesos equivalent to approximately 180 US dollars when during August they cost 90,000 (123 US dollars) and three months ago 65,000 (89 US dollars). However Valeska Villaroel from Travel Sur in Punta Arenas reminds frequent flyers to keep in mind that an air ticket from Punta Arenas to Santiago costs 107,000 Chilean Pesos, plus the Santiago-Buenos Aires leg that is another 90,000 pesos. "So you will be loosing 60,000 pesos if your final destination is Buenos Aires".

Foreign affairs expert

Magallanes Region is reinforcing its international relations and with this purpose has contracted a former Chilean diplomat, Juan Guillermo Zabala, reported Mayor Raúl Hein. Mr. Zabala has a degree in Art History, Sociology and is an expert in foreign policy and international trade after having spent several years in the Chilean Embassy in Madrid as business attaché. "Our objective is to systemize and make effective Magallanes international relations given our growing importance as the main access to Antarctica and the development of regional tourism", said Mr. Hein, just back from a visit to Spain and France with an official Chilean business delegation. "This month Spanish tourist operators will be coming to Punta Arenas and in the near future the president of the Valencia Community in Spain will be visiting us", said Mr. Hein adding that Magallanes Region and the Valencia Community signed a brotherhood understanding.

"Nathaniel Palmer" leaves Punta Arenas

United States icebreaker "Nathaniel Palmer" abandons Punta Arenas as operational port for the US National Science Foundation scientific activities. After undergoing upgrading for two years in San Diego the icebreaker will then leave for New Zealand. Captain Joe Borkowsli who has been operating the "Nathaniel Palmer" for the last ten years from Punta Arenas says he feels sorry such a decision was taken, "however I'm married to a Chilean lady to I'll never be far". Captain Borkowsli whose icebreaker was trapped last year during three weeks in the Margarita Bay area admitted that one of the main problems operating in the Antarctic area is the lack of charts, although he admits that the most accurate "are the Chileans". But even when the "Nathaniel Palmer" abandons Punta Arenas, the US National Science Foundation will continue to operate with another icebreaker "Laurence Gold" that is also a regular visitor to the local port. In each trip from Punta Arenas to Antarctic bases the Gould and Palmer regularly transport 40 scientists with a crew of 25 beginning December.

Agreement to protect Antarctica

The Chilean government and the French multinational corporation Vivendi Environment subscribed last week in Santiago a ten years Antarctic protection and environmental management collaboration agreement. In an official release the Chilean National Environment Committee said that "Our commitment is the development of a ten years effective strategy to protect the Antarctic Peninsula". Several environmental scientific groups will study the consequences of human activity in Antarctica, with the purpose of "keeping track of contaminating emissions as well as contain adverse effects that have a direct influence in the global climatic warming". The cooperation agreement is part of the Vivendi Environment project for the Antarctic based on the protection conditions established in the Madrid Protocol of 1991 that considers the Antarctic a "natural reserve, dedicated to peace and science". Last year Vivendi signed a similar agreement with Australia and the country was given access to 240 containers for the transport and storing of contaminating residues.

Sherman tank for Magallanes

The Chilean Army Fifth Division will donate next October 21st a decommissioned Sherman M-51 tank to the Magallanes Region government. The armoured tractor is being overhauled so it can be operated as a snow tractor for extreme weather conditions. Governor Jaime Jelincic underlined and praised the Army initiative since with the converted tank in winter months areas that become inaccessible isolating farms and shepherds will now be reached. However the Army pointed out that "this does not mean we will continue to support civilian authorities in emergency situations".

Salmon farming boom

Salmon farming seems to be booming in Southern Chile with requests for an additional 213 licences under consideration by the Chilean National Fisheries Service. However 90% of those requests date back to 1999 and are concentrated in the five main companies operating in the region, among which Pesca Chile and Salmón Glaciar de los Andes. In 2001 and 2002 virtually no licences were awarded. The requests correspond as follows: Magallanes 68; Ultima Esperanza 73; Tierra del Fuego 21 and 51 in Antarctica. Tierra del Fuego under the Navarino Bill that promotes investments in the area has extended 44 licences although only 15 are operational. In an interview with Prensa Austral, Jorge Sierpe Gallardo head of the Management Program of the National Fisheries Service, said that the requests reveal "a growing interest, particularly if compared with the Tenth Region; however in that Region fish farming has been running now for two decades". Mr. Sierpe Gallardo explained that actually the area under exploitation compared with the area authorized in Magallanes, Ultima Esperanza and Tierra del Fuego is still very minor "even admitting that awarding a licence is a slow process that can take up to three years", given the regulatory framework and the extensive conservation survey demanded for any particular request. Each licence is considered individually, once the technical report is favourable, an environment impact assessment is required, and finally the request ends in the Chilean Navy's desk which has the final word and extends the physical concession. "Since 1987 National Fisheries Service has considered over 500 concessions", said Mr. Sierpe Gallardo. The three areas in the extreme south of Chile currently have 12 centres fully operational with an annual salmon harvest of 2,500 tons. However for 2006, that volume is expected to reach 27,000 tons.

Antibiotic experiment with plants

A group of Punta Arenas High School students in their last grade discovered in lab tests that certain local plant extracts have "antibiotic" properties. According to Prensa Austral, the three students with Biology professor Marco Poza worked with eight common species in Magallanes Region exposing them in laboratory conditions to colonies of two different types of bacteria, Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus, one of them related to digestive disorders and the other to serious infections. The eight species chosen were calafate (a local tree), araucaria, eucalyptus, wild marjoram, garlic, cypress, pine and lenga (another local tree). The plant extracts and laboratory operations were done in co-ordination with the local Environmental Health Services and their technical staff. The bacteria colonies were then exposed to the different plant extracts for 48 hours at a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius (body temperature), and the results apparently were most interesting. In the majority of cases the bacteria in the immediate area of the different extracts and the more effective the sample the greater the ring free of bacteria. In order of effectiveness first came calafate, followed by araucaria, marjoram, garlic and eucalyptus, although eucalyptus apparently only acted against the Escherichia coli. The rest had none of these properties. The group of students encouraged with the evidence collected are now thinking of experimenting with other local species and possibly research the growing resistance of bacteria to the current generation of pharmaceutical antibiotics, concludes Prensa Austral.

Snow mini-park

The Chilean Forestry Corporation has plans to create a snow mini-park in the Magallanes Forestry Reserve, better known in Punta Arenas as the Japanese Park. Neftali Arriagada, manager of the Reserve told Prensa Austral the idea is to bring the community closer to the wildlife area and "since we have seven solid months of snow, we want to open the Reserve in winter months". The project demands 25 million Chilean pesos (almost 35,000 US dollars) for the purchasing of snow equipment and tractors to keep a couple of tracks clear and in skiing conditions. "There's no conservation risk nor endangering of natural vegetation since snow is metres and a half deep in winter", added Mr. Arriagada.

Fewer funds for Magallanes

Budget cuts in several Chilean Ministries have meant a considerable reduction in funds for Magallanes Region during the current year and are causing political problems for Mayor Raúl Hein who has been convened on more than one occasion to the Regional Council. According to José Barría who presides over the Regional Budget and Investment Committee of Magallanes Regional Council that sum adds up to 2,6 billion pesos equivalent approximately to 3,5 million US dollars, a considerable loss for the Region. The situation has forced Mayor Hein to postpone his October address to the Regional Council, when he's expected to deliver the "state of the Region" speech, until next March. However Mr. Barría from the opposition has promised that on October 21st he will anticipate some details of the "shrinking" funds that include 800 million pesos less from the Regional Development Fund; a 260 million cut in medical supplies for the local hospital; the elimination of 165 million earmarked for the purchase of a medical scanner; plus a 1,4 billion cut in Public Works funds for the extension of the rural drinking water net. "That makes a total of 2,625 billion pesos less, to which we must add interest payments on the government's standing debts to contractors and some suppliers", underlined Mr. Barría.

Shrimp option

Magallanes University together with Chile' National Scientific Research and Technology Commission are looking into the possibility of expanding local fisheries that so far has concentrated mainly in crustaceans, particularly crabs. The specie now targeted, abundant in the area's channels and hardly exploited is shrimp. According to marine biologist Ruben Alarcón from Magallanes University there's a shrimp data collecting project ongoing that begun last year and will see a final report sometime in mid 2003. "We have to determine volumes and distribution of shrimp, and from then onwards the most convenient catching process and vessels to be involved in the operation, among other facts", said Mr. Alarcón. And if the shrimp resource in the area is to be exploited "we then have to determine market demand and conditions, so it's a long process. Conservation and the less interference with the ecosystem must guide us in the research", concluded Mr. Alarcon.

UK support to children in Punta Arenas

An ambitious project to sponsor and finance teaching support for children from government schools with learning difficulties was launched last week in Punta Arenas. The project, Business and Social Responsibility, also has international support from the New Zealand Embassy in Santiago, the Community Development Foundation from Great Britain and United Nations Development Program. Named "Southern Cross", the two years project will originally have financial support from businessmen in New Zealand, Australia and the local Punta Arenas Council. Funds will be invested in contracting a special therapist who will help a universe of several hundred children with learning difficulties. In two years time the project becomes permanent and must begin to be entirely financed by Punta Arenas businessmen. "The idea behind the project is to get businessmen closely involved in community affairs and make them feel they are important for the social development of the area", indicated Helean Todd, technical advisor to the Learning Development Program.