Forum for the Conservation of the Patagonian Sea and Areas of Influence - The Forum for the Conservation of the Patagonian Sea

The Challenge

The “Patagonian Sea and Areas of Influence” represents one of the last large relatively well preserved marine ecosystems. Its oceanic and ecological processes occur in very vast sectors and are fundamental to mitigate the effects of climate change, provide valuable services to human societies and also provide unique natural spectacles.

It consists of large scale and productive oceanic areas. It also includes important areas of fishing as well as foraging and migration areas for turtles, seabirds and marine mammals. Politically, it includes provincial jurisdictions, territorial seas, and the exclusive economic zones of Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile, as well as the surrounding international waters or high seas. To promote conservation in this vast area, we need to take a regional approach to promote cooperation among communities, organizations, scientists and authorities of the different countries and territories.

Our Strategy

The Forum is an international network created to coordinate the joint work of those civil society organizations focused on promoting policies and measures to guarantee the sustainability and viability of the Patagonian Sea ecosystem.

Among its principles, the Forum sustains consensus amongst all interested sectors on the value of scientific information, transdisciplinarity and diversity of nationalities, outlooks and opinions. The uniqueness of this network is its comprehensive vision, inspired in the fact that the ecosystems and their forms of life transcend political boundaries.

Action

We promote strategies to complete the projects and programs that challenge us today and that each organization could not achieve on their own:

Marine Protected Areas Systems

We work to expand and ensure an effective system of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in Argentina and Chile. With the support of key stakeholders, our goal on concluding this project, is that the Patagonian Sea MPA system will be duplicated in area, and substantive progress will be made for long-term science-based marine conservation policies.

Regional School for MPA managers

We promote a training program in management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to strengthen skills and competencies for an effective implementation.

Clean Patagonian Sea

We diagnose and investigate solutions for the problem of solid waste originated by fishing at sea and on the coast, as an input for a future strategy to be implemented to mitigate the impact on marine fauna and coastal sites.

Lighthouses of the Patagonian Sea

The Forum has identified 23 marine areas of high ecological importance (Forum Lighthouses) based on: concentrations of biodiversity; key habitats for endemic or threatened species; contributions to ecosystem functions and services; and economic, social, and cultural value to communities.

IUCN Regional Red List Workshops for Species of the Patagonian Sea

Workshops and regional symposiums are held to evaluate the conservation status of species in the Patagonian Sea, with the advice and participation of scientists from the region and experts belonging to the Forum organizations.

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Latest News

More than 600 people said #NoToSalmonFarming in the Beagle Channel https://marpatagonico.org/wp-content/uploads/WhatsApp-Image-2019-05-09-at-21.48.10.jpeg 1040 780 The Forum for the Conservation of the Patagonian Sea The Forum for the Conservation of the Patagonian Sea https://marpatagonico.org/wp-content/uploads/WhatsApp-Image-2019-05-09-at-21.48.10.jpeg May 13, 2019 May 13, 2019

May 13, 2019

More than 600 people said #NoToSalmonFarming in the Beagle Channel

Nearly 600 people lit their voices for a #BeagleChannelFreeFromSalmonFarming. The premiere in Ushuaia of the documentary “Yaganes”, produced by National Geographic through its marine conservation initiative Pristine Seas, was the perfect excuse to remind the value of a unique ecosystem through spectacular images, as a prelude to its protection against the threat of salmon farming on both banks of the Beagle Channel.

Forum Declaration: The Beagle Channel free from Salmon Farming

In the context of current plans to expand the salmon industry in the Beagle Channel -an area located at the southern end of the Patagonian Sea-, the Forum for the Conservation of the Patagonian Sea expressed its categorical rejection to the installation of salmon farms in these waters which are shared by Chile and Argentina. The main concern is related tothe catastrophic and irreversible damages that such an industry would cause in one of the most valuable areas of the Patagonian marine ecosystem. The Forum calls on both governments to provide all the necessary legal and administrative measures to avoid installing salmon farms in these marine waters and to act jointly for the conservation of this area.

NGOs united for the creation and management of Marine Protected Areas in Chile

Chilean civil society organizations coordinated their efforts and experience during the Workshop “Developing guidelines for the creation and management of Marine Protected Areas in Chile”.