Laura Marina Reyes

Marine Conservation Programme for Central Patagonia, Argentina: Setting Basis for the Creation of Marine Protected Areas

Tonina1

LocationCountryCategoriesDate
Central Patagonia coastArgentinaBiodiversity, Central and Latin America, Ecotourism, Fisheries, Marine15 Sep 2006

Central Patagonia coastal zone is an epicentre of marine biodiversity that sustain several top predators and migrants, reflecting its high local productivity. But the area is exposed to overfishing, oil exploitation, waste, lack of coastal planning, and scarce public awareness.

When we started our first RSG project, in January 2003, we expected to generate some public interest for marine conservation, using cetaceans as flagship species. Our results and the positive response of the public, encouraged us to expand our objectives to a more integrated framework. Today, we feel that there is an urgent need of developing management tools for the Patagonian Marine Ecosystem, based in precautionary principles, introducing the idea of marine protected areas (MPA) as opportunities for local people and for conservation.

MPAs have shown to be a crucial conservation tool, protecting habitats and biodiversity, helping maintain sustainable fisheries, providing foundation for sustainable, wildlife-based tourism and research. However, only 0.5% of the coastal and marine surface is under protection in Argentina. MPA will only succeed if backed by the community and governments, so build public understanding and support for conserving the ocean is a priority for success. To build this up takes real time and effort and could succeed only by sharing knowledge, experience and efforts with other initiatives in marine conservation.

The main goal of this project is to expand and consolidate a long-lasting marine conservation programme for central Patagonia, taking the challenge of changing people perception towards the ocean, and helping to set bases for the future creation of MPAs in this fragile environment.

We will integrate activities on public awareness, research on strategies and criteria for the creation and planning of MPAs, and interaction with governments and other marine conservation projects to work in coalition.

For more information, contact lreyes@cenpat.edu.ar

Project Update September 2006

Toninas2

An outstanding achievement. 21 September at Comodoro Rivadavia, the Government of Chubut Province and the Administration of National Parks signed an agreement to create the first National Marine Park in Argentina in... Northern Golfo San Jorge!!

We are really, really happy! Our loved area, with its dolphins, sea lions and seabirds will be finally protected and recognized in our province and our Nation. This is a collective achievement. Even if political arrangements were conducted by the most important NGO in Patagonia, the permanent strategy of community and government awareness carried out by our project, through emotive newspaper articles, talks and reports submitted to key politicians, were vital in the final decision. Now, it will be needed a hard cooperative work to plan the area, and to achieve agreements with the fishing and oil industry.

We will continue in this track, creating awareness and inspiring change, a real and effective change.

Project Update December 2006

lolidolphin

We had a really wonderful start in the third year of our project. We carried out several activities integrating education, research, and interaction with governments and other marine conservation projects, and we produced concrete outcomes.

Research: We defined criteria for successful marine conservation strategies in Argentina, integrating biological, socio-cultural, political and economical factors, based on international guidelines and on our experience in protected areas planning. In addition, we continued our fieldwork on cetaceans and prepared a GIS identifying prioritary sites for conservation in Golfo San Jorge based on dolphin distribution. As outcomes, we produced three scientific communications, recently presented at the National Marine Science Congress: “MPAs in Argentina: Strategies for a successful planning and implementation”, “Northern Golfo San Jorge: New contributions to its the knowledge and appraisal” and “Risso´s dolphin in northern and central Patagonia: visitant or inhabitant?”
Education: we offered talks at the Schools N° 42 and 736 in Puerto Madryn, we carried out an educational trip to the Protected Area Península Valdés with students of the local University, and lectured a course on marine conservation to tour guides. We published seven articles on marine conservation in local and national newspapers. Finally, we assisted in the preparation of the study plan for a new career at the Universidad Nacional de La Patagonia: Tourism based in Nature.

Interaction with other conservation initiatives and governments. We are participating in the first network for the integrated management of the Patagonian coast. This network, initially promoted by Fundación Patagonia Natural (FPN), involves planners and conservationists from the Patagonian coastal locations. In addition, we were part of several meetings with the Sea & Sky project, FPN, Wildlife Conservation Society and Centro Nacional Patagónico to create a coalition to work and share knowledge on marine protected areas.

Project Update June 2007

Mother-calf underwater

The first months of 2007 we carried out a wide spectrum of activities.
On summer, we performed the 4th annual field work season of dolphin surveys in northern golfo San Jorge. A total of 15 sightings of Peale´s dolphins, Commerson´s dolphins and killer whales were made. At the moment we have 200h surveyed and 80 sightings made.
In addition we worked intensely in:
• Promoting the approval and implementation of the Punta Tombo Management Plan, and helping the government in several issues related with the Protected Area.
• Cooperate with decisions makers in defining the limits of the Marine National Park of Northern Golfo San Jorge.
• Being part of the Commission to produce the new Whale Watching Law for Chubut.
• To be a founder member of the first virtual forum on Marine Protected Areas in Argentina (www.amp-patagonia.org.ar), in coalition with other marine conservation project leaders. This forum, integrated by decision makers, conservationists and scientists, are discussing issues and thinking strategies to create MPAs in Argentina.
• Participate in the first network for the integrated management of the Patagonian coast, promoted by Fundación Patagonia Natural.
• Design, produce and initiate the distribution of 3,000 leaflets and 1,500 posters on marine wildlife of Central Patagonia. This material was distributed at Camarones, during the National Festival of the Salmón, and at Comodoro Rivadavia.
• Present communications for Congresses, sharing our ideas on strategies for successful marine conservation in Argentina (International Penguin Conference (Tasmania), Latin American Congress on National Parks and Protected Areas (Bariloche, Argentina), Meeting of Science, Technology and Society III (Uruguay), III Binational Meeting of Ecology (Chile).
• Offer talks on marine conservation at schools and at Universitary students.
• Produce newspaper articles on marine conservation issues.

Final Report

Read more about the activities undertaken and findings of this project in the final report below.

File DownloadSize
Final report.pdf6.7 MB

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