Pilots from Punta Ballena, Uruguay, are calling on others to sign a petition and help stop the construction of 300 apartments at their home site.
“We are desperate to stop the destruction of Punta Ballena,” said Vicky Casabone, a campaigning pilot. “It is our main flight spot for tandems, school and it is also an incredibly beautiful natural place.”
A place to appreciate nature. Photo: somospuntaballena.org
The petition has around 60,000 signatures already, but needs many more before it’s too late. “If we don’t manage to stop it in 15 days there’s no turning back,” Vicky said.
The real estate project Punta Ballena Residential Complex will irreversibly impact not only the unique ecosystem of the area, but the Uruguayan culture and tourism industry, according to the No To The Punta Ballena Project Uruguay campaign.
The campaign says that “uncontrolled” and “voracious” real estate development has been commonplace in recent decades. Adding: “All Uruguayans know the image of Punta Ballena and associate it with the idea of Uruguay as a natural country.” Many people use the area as a recreational area to appreciate the landscape, watch whales, go diving, snorkeling, rappelling and gliding.
It is also an area of “great ecological relevance” since it is home to 427 registered species of plants, with 14 of them being endemic to the country and two to the place: they do not exist anywhere else in the world. According to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the conservation of these species is a priority.
Punta Ballena’s planned residential complex. Photo: somospuntaballena.org
Campaigners want to urge the Uruguayan government to guarantee the preservation of Punta Ballena as a Cultural and Natural Heritage site of Uruguay.
Vicky said: “Help to sign a petition that could help us stop this project.”
