A study ordered last November by Chile’s National Environmental Commission (Conama) has concluded that a die-off of black-necked swans at the Carlos Anwandter Sanctuary near the southern city of Valdivia is the result of contamination from a recently built pulp mill. The findings, released April 18, have prompted a new round of legal and regulatory action against the plant’s owner, Celulosa Arauco y Constitución (Celco), one of the world’s largest producers of pulp. “Based on all the data analyzed, we have concluded that the activities of the Valdivia plant of Celco have caused in a significant way the environmental changes of the wetlands of the Cruces River during the last year,” said the 539-page study, conducted by scientists from two Chilean universities... [Log in to read more]