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Picture Gallery to the Campaign “We Want to Live!”

Landau, June 1, 2011

Since July of last year our Peruvian partner, the natural protection organization Acorema (Coastal and Marine Resources Protection Organization) has been campaigning for the protection of the Humboldt Penguin and its habitat.  With simple wording and catchy media (flyers, stickers, and puppet shows), children and adults from the fishing villages are being informed. The following pictures were generated during  the “Queremos vivir” (We Want to Live) campaign.

Werner Knauf

The associated article from the campaign “We Want to Live” can be found under the section “Projects Peru”, subsection “Environmental Education”.

THE PENGUINS HAVE WON!

La Serena, March 23, 2011

After the dramatic events of August, 2010,  the possibility was only slim that the corporation Compañia Minera del Pacifico (CMP) would receive a building permit to build a coal-fired power plant in Cruz Grande.

We remember well that President Piñera had corrected the decision by the regional government and had come to an agreement with the corporation Suez Energy that there in fact would not be a coal-fired power plant built in the community of La Higuera: "We do not want such a beautiful area to be destroyed. Let us enjoy the nature there." The citizen's movement MODEMA was pleased, but remained alert, as did we. One never knows. The approval process for the building permit in Cruz Grande was still ongoing and no decision had as of yet been made. Finally, on March 22nd, CMP announced that they were withdrawing their building permit application.

We have finally reached our goal! None of the planned coal-fired power plants will be built on the Pacific coast of northern Chile, near the Natural Protection Area of the Humboldt Penguin. This was an amazing success. The normal people, the citizens of La Higuera, scientists and natural protectionists, and people from all over the world beat three commerical giants – the Chilean  governmental corporation Codelco, the global player Suez Energy, and the Chilean corporation CMP. The normal people saved their jobs and preserved a unique ecosystem from destruction; the ecosystem is unique because of its biodiversity of flora and fauna, but also because of its importance as a breeding ground for whales and dolphins, the Peruvian Diving Petrel, and the Humboldt Penguin. 80% of the world's population of this extremely threatened penguin species lives there. The building of the coal-fired power plants would certainly have been the end of the Humboldt Penguin.

When the building plans were made known in 2008 and the citizen movement MODEMA began to organize its resistance, many, even experienced natural protectionists, were of the opinion that it was hopeless. "Against Codelco, against Suez Energy we have no chance." Even Chilean natural protectionists and scientists, and we ourselves had doubts and much fear that we would fail. But we were also of the opinion that we still had to try to succeed.

We have succeeded. The people and an area of nature in northern Chile again have a future, perhaps even a good one. For that we thank Rosa, Jan, and all the others from MODEMA. We have much respect for her courage, endurance and intelligence. We thank all the natural protectionists, scientists, and politicians that made the conflict known throughout the entire country of Chile, and for their efforts in this cause. Thanks as well to all in Europe that supported Sphenisco with this work. We have fought together and shown that: commitment to a cause is worth it.

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We Won!

Humboldt Penguin National Protection Area Saved

La Serena, Landau, August 26, 2010.

The penguins are dancing, the people of the Port of Choros are celebrating, and Rosa, Jan, and the local community mayor are amazed with joy. President Piñera corrected the August 24th decision of the Coquimbo Region “Corema” (the regional environmental decision-making body), and came to an agreement with the company Suez Energy not to build a coal-fired power plant in the community of La Higuera. Three years after beginning the battle for the livelihood of the local citizens and a sea region’s biodiversity as important as Antarctica itself, it is finally over.