Advances and challenges in marine conservation in Chile: A regional and global comparison

Abstract

1. Despite significant progress made in Chile, and globally, in establishing marine protected areas (MPAs), the actual contribution to marine biodiversity conservation needs to be revised, to focus on representativeness and the diversity of tools alongside effective implementation, management, and enforcement. 2. This study makes progress in this direction, describing the most recent advances in marine conservation in Chile and analysing the contribution of the different conservation instruments as well as the distribution of designated areas across ecoregions. Furthermore, it examines the potential contribution of alternative area-based instruments to balance ocean protection. The advances observed in Chile were compared among four South American countries and five leading countries in ocean conservation, analysing protection levels in coastal areas, continental exclusive economic zones, and overseas territories. 3. Data on MPA boundaries and attributes were sourced from the World Database on Protected Areas and complemented the official information on MPAs and territorial user rights for fisheries and for indigenous people in South America. 4. The current level of protection in Chile is among the highest in the world in area coverage and in the proportion of the continental exclusive economic zone assigned to fully protected areas. However, it exhibits the strongest imbalances in the distribution of designated MPAs between coastal and oceanic waters, in comparison with the leading countries and also within South America (Perú, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay), and among ecoregions. 5. The patterns observed suggest that Chile has advanced, but concentrated, conservation efforts in low-threat, remote ecoregions. There is an urgent need to progress towards high-threat ecoregions, which implies balancing the needs of nature and people. The distribution of ancillary conservation instruments can help double the level of protection in threatened coastal areas, filling gaps in marine conservation and creating an opportunity to progress and diversify conservation strategies.

A systematic evidence map of conservation knowledge in Chilean Patagonia

“…Evidence has grown exponentially in Chilean Patagonia during recent decades, but most of the evidence has been biased to a few terrestrial protected areas and this has also been reflected in terms of management of protected areas in the region (Araos et al, 2020; Tecklin et al, 2021). As conservation progress has been made in the region, with more than half of its terrestrial area protected, and increasing advances in coverage of marine protected areas, there are serious concerns, as to whether the conservation situation can be advanced from “on paper” to “in operation,” to effectively manage and protect biodiversity in the region (Fernández et al, 2021). There are major gaps between legal and real protection, particularly in the marine realm that is most threatened by agro‐industrial use, evidenced by the 416 concessions granted for salmon farming in protected areas in Chilean Patagonia (Mongabay, 2021).…”