News

Fine imposed for over $22 billion for logging native forest in Chonchi and Quellón

Sponsors

The penalty is against the Asian company Golden Spring and the Coihuín de Compu Community. Its current chief acknowledges the illegal logging of native trees during the previous leadership.

Seven years after the case was reported, the Castro Local Police Court ruled to sanction the Coihuín de Compu Indigenous Community and Golden Spring Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada Forestal (Chile) for the indiscriminate logging of native forest, which affected over a thousand hectares in the rural areas of Yerba Loza (Chonchi) and the Tepuhueico lot A property (Quellón).

The penalty includes a fine of over 22 billion pesos, which must be paid "for municipal benefit, an amount to be jointly deposited in the Castro Municipal Treasury within 5 days of notification of this ruling," explicitly states the sentence issued by Judge María Agustina Barrientos on September 30.

The document also states that reforestation of the area must be carried out, for which a management plan must be submitted within 30 days of notification.

Specifically, the ruling establishes unauthorized logging of native forest species such as canelo, coihue, tepú, mañío, and luma across 1,058.9 hectares, yielding 249,452 cubic meters of firewood between 2017 and March 2018. 70% of the area consisted of adult trees, while the rest was vegetation affected by fire. The fine amounts to 22,450,680,000 pesos.

Fundo Coihuín de Compu is one of the largest indigenous communities in Chiloé, spanning the intersection of three Chilote municipalities: Quellón, Chonchi, and Queilen, with around 350 families living there.

A delicate matter

Upon learning of the verdict, Pablo Inaicheo, leader of this southern island community, stated, "I have been chief for two years, and the complaint was filed against other individuals, including Américo Lincomán Llatureo, who resigned as chief, and then I was elected. So, this is a very delicate issue because the penalty itself applies to others, not the entire community."

The indigenous leader added, "We want to reforest and proceed as instructed, but above all because we are concerned about protecting these lands and the water, restoring the native forest for future generations."

When asked how the fine would be paid, Inaicheo replied, "Look, that (the debt) must be paid by both Golden Spring and the community, as the ruling states. So, we must wait for them to also be notified and then figure out how we will do it... but we still don’t know how, because—as I mentioned—people who have nothing to do with this are paying here."

According to the Huilliche representative, the site where the mass logging occurred had already been handed over by the Asian company to the community. "That land was given to us by the company in 2018; we reclaimed it because it is ancestral land of Compu. This doesn’t mean that as owners, I justify the illegal logging, but I do want to make it clear that there are community members affected by the ruling who bear no responsibility in this matter. There are families here who use the land respectfully, cutting firewood for domestic use, and, well, there are also those who, out of greed, caused great harm. And, as I said, among those subject to the penalty, some aren’t even part of the community," he reported.

Prior to this handover, the Asian firm Golden Spring allowed peaceful occupation of the lands after abandoning plans in the 1990s for a mega forestry project, which was denounced at the time by Coihuín de Compu and the broader Chilote public. In May 2018, CONADI announced the purchase of over 10,000 hectares in Quellón for indigenous community members.

According to the court document, these operations disrupted the ecosystem, altering watercourses and eroding the soil. This was confirmed by CONAF (National Forestry Corporation), cited in the ruling, which described an "extensive road network built with heavy machinery, particularly backhoes, clearing strips 6 to 8 meters wide." The wood was removed at night.

Source:Soychile.cl