Environmental Enforcement and Compliance Frameworks in Chile and Canada

Key Definitions from the Second Article of the LBMA

Environment: the global system formed by natural and artificial elements of physical, chemical and biological nature, social and cultural elements and their interaction in continuous transformation caused by human or natural intervention, that rules and determines the existence and development of life in its various aspects.

Sustainable Development: the process of sustained and equitable improvement of the quality of life of people, based on adequate environmental conservation and protection measures, so that it would not affect the future of next generations.

Conservation of Environmental Heritage: the rational use and exploitation or the restoration, if case be, of environmental elements, especially those specific to the country, that are unique, rare or representative in order to ensure their survival and their regeneration capacity.

Contamination: the existence in the environment of substances, elements, energy of a combination thereof in higher or lower concentration and for a period of time longer of shorter than that established by the current legislation.

Environmental Damage: all loss, decrease, damage or harm done to environment, or to one or more of its components.

Protection of Nature: the totality of policies, plans, programs, standards and actions meant to improve the environment and to prevent and control its damage.

Natural Resources: the environmental components that can be used by human beings in order to satisfy their necessities or spiritual, cultural, social or economic interests.

Restoration: the action of restoring the environment, one or more of its components, to a quality similar to the one they has previous to being damaged, or if this is not possible, of restoring its basic characteristics.