Timid effort to promote ecotourism will affect less than one percent of water basins in southern Chile and could be rescinded by incoming Piñera government

The Ministry of Public Works (MOP) has denied 30 petitions for water rights made by electric companies in three rivers in Region X and XI: the Palena River, the Murta River and the Cisnes River.

Government officials said their aim was to keep power companies from buying the water rights to the rivers and building hydroelectric dam projects. Instead, the idea is to promote ecotourism by preserving these river basins.