MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Tierra del Fuego extreme south vertex to become the Mitre Peninsula Protected Area

The project includes 50,000 hectares in the extreme vertex of Tierra del Fuego plus the States island and the adjoining maritime spaces

Argentina Tierra del Fuego province lawmakers from all parties have agreed to resurface a project to create the Mitre Peninsula Nature Protected Area, an idea born over thirty years ago and which covers the extreme end landmass of Tierra del Fuego and the States Island.

According to the latest reports the Natural Resources Committee of the Tierra del Fuego legislative will be extending an invitation to all owners of land in the area anticipated to become part of the Peninsula Mitre protected area to listen to their ideas and claims.

The project to draft a bill declaring the Mitre Peninsula Protected Area was considered during the previous legislature in 2019, but later relegated the discussion and consideration of the initiative.

Now the project is back on the table and includes some 50,000 hectares in the extreme vertex of Tierra del Fuego plus the adjoining maritime spaces, besides the States island, New Year island and adjacent rocky islets, and their maritime spaces.

Given the delay in considering the issue by Tierra del Fuego lawmakers in 2019, a year later the Argentine Executive signed Decree 1710/20 declaring the Mitre Peninsula initiative of environmental, natural and cultural interest, under the precautionary principle granted by the Argentine constitution to provincial states to protect the environment, preserve natural resources, regulate use and exploitation, conserve the ecosystems balance, protect water resources plus the autochthonous flora and fauna.