Black-necked swans have made Chile’s Carlos Anwandter Sanctuary their habitat of choice since the wetland on the lower Cruces River was formed by a massive earthquake 45 years ago. But in October, dozens of the swans died and many of their nests were found to have vanished, causing an uproar in the nearby southern city of Valdivia. In November, 2,000 protesters marched in Valdivia demanding the closure of the plant that they believe is causing the die-off—a new pulp mill 20 miles (32 kms) upriver of the sanctuary. The mill is owned by Celulosa Arauco, one of the world’s largest pulp producers and a unit of Chile’s Empresas Copec conglomerate. Celulosa Arauco opened the US$1.2 billion plant last February to boost... [Log in to read more]
