Declaración
Pública
The Council of Rectors expresses its support for the University of La Frontera and its concern at the events that have taken place during August in its Maquehue Experimental Field, a natural laboratory in which teaching, outreach and research activities are carried out. become a benchmark for the agro-food and environmental sector of La Araucanía.
In recent weeks, the Experimental Field - located 17 kilometers south of Temuco - has been affected by the forced entry of a group of community members, by the damage to the facilities and by the theft of 80 native Araucanian breed sheep. This constitutes a serious alteration to the continuity of the academic activities carried out there and a serious loss, since for 15 years we have been working on the genetic recovery of sheep of this breed, with the financial support of the Ministry of Agriculture. In Chile, there are only five sheep genetic nuclei and this was one of them.
The current demand to the University of La Frontera to abandon the facilities and lands of the Maquehue Experimental Field is not compatible with the efforts made by this university to reestablish peaceful coexistence.
As the Council of Rectors, we adhere to the call of the university, which seeks to promote a frank and respectful dialogue, and we hope that progress will be made quickly, for the good of the community and the development of the region.