According to Greenpeace Chile, the initiative has already been rejected three times due to environmental shortcomings, and its approval process has been marred by serious concerns.

The plan, proposed by the company Andes Iron, includes the extraction of iron and copper, as well as the construction of a mega-port and underground pipelines in La Higuera, in the Coquimbo region—an area that is home to 80 percent of the Humboldt penguin population, a species currently at risk of extinction.

Representatives from the artisanal fishing, tourism, and agricultural sectors, along with members of the Chango indigenous community and social organizations from La Higuera, sent an open letter to President Jose Antonio Kast.

In it, they expressed their concern regarding the potential for the Dominga project to be approved through an opaque, administrative “back-door” process.

The letter demanded that any decision respect all pending environmental, administrative, and judicial proceedings.

Furthermore, they requested a dialogue with the president and invited him to see firsthand the productive activities and development proposals that have been fostered in the region for years—such as artisanal fishing and nature-based tourism—which are compatible with the conservation of the Humboldt Archipelago.

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