Desafíos para la gestión ambiental en Chile: una perspectiva australiana [Challenges for Environmental Water Management in Chile: An Australian Perspective]

Abstract

The deterioration of aquatic environments is an increasingly serious problem in Chile, in terms of declining water quality and quantity in the face of growing demands by industry, cities and the impact of climate change. Debates around the best way to manage water resources in Chile, as in many parts of the world, have been historically divided between those who view water as a private versus a public good, in a framework of free market versus government regulation. Faced with the same problem, Australian governments have recently developed new institutions, such as the Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH), which debunk the public/private dichotomy and actively participate in water markets to protect the interests of the environment. This article considers the relevance of the VEWH case for Chile, arguing that environmental water management can be implemented within within a market-based water regulation framework and that, while environmental water managers need ‘property’ to effectively promote environmental water outcomes within a fully allocated water system, environmental water management need not threaten the private water rights of other users. The Australian case is interesting for Chile, because it shows that environmental outcomes can be achieved without picking sides, and without radically changing the prevailing ideological status quo.