The public participation process will remain open until the first week of December 2025 and applies to the northern, central, and southern macrozones.
On October 16, 2025, the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) issued Exempt Resolution No. 07167/2025, which extends the public consultation period for the preliminary lists of Priority Sites for Biodiversity Conservation corresponding to the northern, central, and southern macro-zones, within the framework of the implementation of Law No. 21,600 (SBAP Law), which creates the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service (SBAP).
In addition to the above, this law establishes that, within a maximum period of five years from its entry into force, the MMA must issue a Supreme Decree determining the sites to which the conservation regulations will apply, in accordance with the provisions of its transitional Article 8.
According to Article 3 No. 31 of Law 21,600, a Priority Site is understood to be:
“An area of ecological value, whether terrestrial or aquatic, marine or continental, identified for its contribution to ecosystem representativeness, its ecological uniqueness, or because it constitutes habitats for threatened species, prioritized for biodiversity conservation by the Service.”
These sites therefore correspond to areas identified by the State that are home to ecosystems of high environmental value or functions essential to ecological balance.
Although they are not protected areas and do not form part of the National System of Protected Areas, they serve as a technical basis for future declarations or conservation measures under the new SBAP regime.
In addition, the SBAP Law provides for a set of obligations and restrictions applicable to sites that are ultimately included in the final list, including the development of management plans, the need for prior authorization to carry out certain activities within the area, and the classification of offenses in the event of significant damage or alteration to ecosystems.
Likewise, in accordance with Article 11(d) of Law No. 19,300, projects that must be submitted to the Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA) and are located in or near Priority Sites must be evaluated through an Environmental Impact Study (EIA).
Exempt Resolution No. 07167/2025 provided for an extraordinary extension of 10 business days for the three processes initiated by the resolutions that submitted the preliminary lists of Priority Sites in each macrozone for consultation.
Subsequently, the MMA extended these deadlines again through Exempt Resolution No. 07627/2025, adding an additional 21 business days, so that the citizen participation process will remain open until early December 2025.
The dates for each consultation are as follows:
- Northern Macrozone: Deadline expires on December 2, 2025.
- Central Macrozone: Deadline expires on December 3, 2025.
- Southern Macrozone: Deadline expires on December 4, 2025.
The purpose of these extensions is to encourage more informed and technical participation, considering the magnitude and complexity of the available background information.
Finally, it is important to mention that comments may refer, among other aspects, to the territorial delimitation or cartographic accuracy of the proposed polygons, the identification of areas consolidated under territorial planning instruments, the incorporation of scientific background information specifying the ecological status of the area, or the indication of relevant anthropic interventions that justify adjustments or exclusions.
You can participate in each consultation here.
For more information on this topic, please contact our Public Law and Regulated Markets group:
Antonio Rubilar | Partner | arubilar@az.cl
Francisco Alarcón | Senior Associate Public Law and Regulated Markets Group | falarcon@az.cl
Tomás Zaliasnik | Associate Public Law and Regulated Markets Group | tzaliasnik@az.cl
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