Overview

Chile’s extensive 6,435 km coastline, islands and territorial seas house globally important biodiversity, and the area is noted for the high endemism evident among several taxonomic groups. For example, endemism rates of up to 52 percent are found in benthic macro-invertebrates, and 27 percent among Chile’s characteristic macro-algae. Intense upwelling within the cold water Humboldt Current that runs northwards along the coast brings nutrients to the area, making the Chilean coastline one of the world’s most productive marine ecosystems. The area supports a large fishing industry: Chile is the world’s fourth largest fishing power, accounting for approximately 10 percent of global fisheries. While industrial fisheries mainly operate on the high seas, coastal regions support artisanal fisheries that provide livelihoods for coastal communities – including several Amerindian groups that depend on fishing.

However, a range of pressures now threaten marine and coastal biodiversity including over-fishing and the use of destructive fishing practices by some fisheries. Although the benthic and pelagic fisheries are regulated, the high level of catches permitted for some species have affected these populations and problems arise from the fishing methods employed. Bottom trawling poses threats to the benthic environment by scouring the ocean floor and many fisheries have high levels of unintended bycatch – which is discarded. Limited attention has been paid to protecting fish spawning and juvenile grow-out areas, or to protect spawning biomass. Other threats include land-based pollution from domestic and industrial effluent, agriculture and mining run-off. These however tend to be localized and large stretches of the coast still remain in good condition.

Chile’s National Programme for Use of the Coastal Zone is working to address land-based pollution on the marine environment and guide urban and industrial development in coastal areas. There is, however, an unmet need to establish a bio-geographically representative network of marine and coastal protected areas to protect biodiversity. Chile’s national PA system is heavily skewed in terms of coverage to terrestrial ecosystems: only a few marine and coastal PAs exist and these have mainly been gazetted for the purposes of research, environmental education or to conserve specific species.

A number of barriers are impeding efforts to establish a representative network. At the systemic level, policy and regulatory frameworks are inadequate for managing coastal and marine areas as PAs and ensuring the integration of such PAs within development strategies. Institutional arrangements are also complex. Different institutions have mandates over geographical areas, which are often restricted and this hinders the effective management of larger habitat complexes. There is an absence of sound management and operational planning systems for these larger complexes. Although different institutions have specific legal instruments, there are no mechanisms to bring them together as one consolidated framework.

A particular conservation concern along the Chilean coastline is the globally endangered Humboldt Penguin that is endemic to the Humboldt Current. The total world population of this species stands at 12,000 breeding pairs, two-thirds of which are in Chile. The population is undergoing a decline, thought to be linked to over fishing of prey species, guano mining in breeding areas, and entanglement in fishing nets.

Despite its key role in Chile’s economy, awareness of the importance of coastal and marine biodiversity is extraordinary low among both decision-makers and the general public, particularly at the local level, which undermines interest in underwriting the costs of marine and coastal PA creation and management.

Project description

The project is working with local, sub-regional and national government institutions as well as community groups and private businesses, to establish multi-use coastal and near-shore marine PAs (MUMPAs) as a cost-effective way of integrating sectoral needs (fishing, recreation, tourism) and biodiversity conservation. It sought to establish three MUMPAs in order to demonstrate integrated management of marine and coastal resources, and build capacities for their management and replication.

The three MUMPA areas were chosen both for their distinct biodiversity and for the range of challenges that they faced. To make them entirely replicable in future MUMPAs along the Chilean coast, the project aimed to identify, analyze, and share any lessons learned that might be beneficial in the design and implementation of similar future projects. Identifying, analyzing and communicating such lessons is one of the project's central contributions.

The three areas are: Isla Grande de Atacama (IGA) which is located in a temperate warm biogeographical region; Lafken Mapu Lahual (LML) located in a transitional temperate biogeographical region; and• Francisco Coloane (FC) in a cold temperate biogeographical region.