CEO Note: Major Oceana victory as Chile announces dramatic expansion of protected areas in its seas
CEO Note: Major Oceana victory as Chile announces dramatic expansion of protected areas in its seas
BY ANDY SHARPLESS MARCH 5, 2018
Caleta Tortel, Chile
Photo Credit: Oceana
In a huge victory for Oceana, its allies and supporters, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has unveiled protections for large swaths of ocean that include some of the most biodiverse and productive ocean places on the planet.
This change means that more than 25 percent of Chile's ocean is now protected as marine parks. Oceana's Vice President for Chile, Liesbeth Van de Meer, was present at the ceremonies when President Bachelet made this announcement signaling the central role Oceana has played in winning policy victories that have made Chile a true global leader in ocean conservation.
The new protected areas announced by the President include 262,000 square kilometers surrounding the Juan Fernandez Islands and over 6,702 square kilometers area around the southern town of Tortel. Oceana played a lead role in winning these protections. The proposal by the President also included the formation of a new national park — Parque Pumalin — that includes a million acres of land donated by Oceana supporter Kris Tompkins. As Liesbeth told the AFPO after the ceremony "The marine parks created are going to be laboratories for the world."
Chile's Juan Fernández Archipelago is most famous for having been the home to the shipwrecked sailor Alexander Selkirk, the likely real life subject and inspiration for Daniel Defoe's world famous novel Robinson Crusoe. But, as Oceana found, the real reason why the Juan Fernandez islands are a world class destination are their incomparable marine ecosystems. The islands are home to seas full of wildlife found nowhere else on earth. Oceana worked closely with the local communities and small-scale fishers over several years to win protections for the sea while also preserving their own sustainable lobster and fishing efforts. The archipelago lies 600 kilometers west of Valparaíso and consists of three islands: Robinson Crusoe, Santa Clara, and Alejandro Selkirk. Oceana also partnered closely with National Geographic's Pristine Seas project on this closure via joint expeditions, reports and direct advocacy.
More:
http://oceana.org/blog/ceo-note-major-oceana-victory-chile-announces-dramatic-expansion-protected-areas-its-seas?utm_campaign=enews&utm_content=201803enewsUS&utm_source=en&utm_medium=email
Environment and energy:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127116490
More images of the area:
https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrEwM.n_staNzwAdHKJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBsZ29xY3ZzBHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEc2xrA2J1dHRvbg--;_ylc=X1MDOTYwNjI4NTcEX3IDMgRhY3RuA2NsawRiY2sDZWFlcjdmOWNnbDI5ZyUyNmIlM0Q0JTI2ZCUzRGZFVE9PSzFyWUgzS3VfNWJGaWk4THF3a19jX3JYc19ya1E2azM1dGQ0N2NwM1EtLSUyNnMlM0RkayUyNmklM0RaNTRSU3JlNW5ZRU1nZFVtenJKTgRjc3JjcHZpZANEc0pCZURFd0xqSGxPMmQ2V1FxSk1BS3lNall3TUFBQUFBQTJkUjBvBGZyA3NmcARmcjIDc2EtZ3AEZ3ByaWQDBG10ZXN0aWQDbnVsbARuX3N1Z2cDMARvcmlnaW4DaW1hZ2VzLnNlYXJjaC55YWhvby5jb20EcG9zAzAEcHFzdHIDBHBxc3RybAMEcXN0cmwDMzIEcXVlcnkDSnVhbiBGZXJu4W5kZXogQXJjaGlwZWxhZ28gY2hpbGUEdF9zdG1wAzE1MjMzMTg0NjkEdnRlc3RpZANudWxs?pvid=DsJBeDEwLjHlO2d6WQqJMAKyMjYwMAAAAAA2dR0o&p=Juan+Fernández+Archipelago+chile&fr=sfp&fr2=sb-top-images.search.yahoo.com&ei=UTF-8&n=60&x=wrt