Extreme environmentalism in Villa Allende: residents chained themselves to a tree

Environmental activists from Villa Allende decided to chain themselves this Monday to a white quebracho tree located on Padre Luchesse Avenue. The action is part of a protest against the relocation of the tree, whose presence prevents the doubling of lanes on a key access route to the metropolitan area of Córdoba. Meanwhile, as the construction progresses, the activists are entrenched with banners, tents, and speeches without any alternative proposal.

The protest is not new: for days, a small group of residents has been camping at the site. This is only a shameful scene that mixes environmental slogans, logistical improvisation, and rejection of any intermediate solution.

The situation reached a new level of absurdity when a man climbed the tree and a woman chained herself to the trunk. Both declared that they will not move until the decision to relocate the native specimen is reversed.

"We have been camping for several days and we had planned to protect it in some way since we have not been heard by the authorities," said Leonardo Kadenes, spokesperson for the group. The specific demand is to modify the already tendered, approved, and technically justified road layout, with the sole objective of preserving the tree in its exact location.

An extreme protest that halts a necessary project for the city

The claim is maintained without technical grounds or openness to dialogue. Meanwhile, traffic on a strategic artery remains limited, in a city that needs infrastructure to better integrate with Greater Córdoba.

"For months we have wanted to have a conversation with (Mayor Pablo) Cornet but he has always closed the doors to us," said Kadenes. However, municipal sources state that there is no rejection of dialogue, but rather clear limits regarding unfeasible demands. The refusal to accept reasonable solutions turns a valid cause—the defense of the environment—into a testimonial act of political rigidity.

The white quebracho is not in danger of being cut down or destroyed. It will be relocated, preserved, and replanted as part of an environmental compensation plan that includes new specimens and ecological measures. However, that fact seems irrelevant to those who, perched on the tree or tied to it, have made symbolism their only argument.

The beginning of the situation

On Thursday afternoon, a group of residents set up tents on Padre Luchesse Avenue, at the entrance to Villa Allende. They did so next to a white quebracho tree nearly three centuries old, whose removal is planned as part of the road expansion project. The protest, which includes a campout, was intended to extend until Friday.

The controversy surrounding the tree has lasted for months and centers on the progress of a key project that connects the city with Córdoba Capital. The project, carried out by Caminos de las Sierras and endorsed by the municipality, requires the removal of the specimen to continue the widening of the avenue. The authorities reported that the tree will be transplanted a few meters (a few feet) from its current location.

Municipal officials admit that, due to its size and age, the transplant has little chance of success. However, in a few days the transplant of the specimen will be carried out to allow the ongoing roadwork to continue. The project aims to ease congestion and prevent accidents at a high-traffic point.

An emotional and symbolic defense

The residents demand that the tree remain in its original location, proposing as an alternative the construction of a roundabout or a special planter. However, those options were dismissed by technicians who assessed the feasibility of redesigning the road. The courts also rejected an injunction that sought to halt the intervention.

The white quebracho has been a symbol of several claims, but urban priorities require broader criteria. The expansion of the Luchesse corridor responds to real needs for connectivity, safety, and metropolitan planning. In that context, the strict preservation of a single specimen can't block a project of general interest.

The protest, no matter how legitimate it may be symbolically, doesn't consider the harm caused by halting necessary structural investments. In growing cities, infrastructure must keep pace without becoming hostage to emotional demands. Environmental defense, to be legitimate and effective, also requires practical sense and reasonableness.