Buenos Aires Province establishes new island land use regime

The Government of the Province of Buenos Aires has established a new regulatory regime for the use and precarious tenure of public domain islands located along the fluvial and maritime coasts, including Martín García Island. Promulgated by Governor Axel Kicillof via Decree No. 1.517/2026, the measure aims to organize, regularize, and control land use based on administrative efficiency, general interest, and environmental sustainability.

The decree introduces a uniform legal framework governing property destination, terms, conservation, control, canon payments, and the restitution of assets. It is also designed to regularize existing de facto occupations without altering state ownership or the public nature of the islands. To support this, the government created the Registry of Buenos Aires Public Domain Islands, which will be managed by the Undersecretariat of Territorial Affairs.

This new registry replaces the 2020 Delta Public Domain Property Registry and expands its scope to include islands located outside the Delta. The regulation incorporates territorial and environmental management criteria to ensure that authorized uses are compatible with the sustainability of the island system, the protection of wetlands, and the preservation of biodiversity.