MPAS RESILIENCE: MaRes Project

We work to strengthen the resilience of coastal and marine protected areas, implementing solutions that contribute to the conservation and protection of marine life and collaborate in building the capacities of those who work in the marine environment.

An example of this work is MaRes, a project being developed in Argentina with financial support from the European Union.

Purpose

Contribute to the health of Marine Ecosystems

We promote actions aimed at ensuring that the ecosystems of the Argentine Sea maintain the integrity of their biodiversity, with measures aimed at facilitating their capacity to adapt and mitigate climate change, contributing to the health and well-being of people.

Pilot Sites

The project will focus on strengthening the Southern Patagonia Interjurisdictional Coastal Marine Park (PIMCPA), the Península Valdés Natural Protected Area in the Province of Chubut and Marine Protected Areas of the National System of Marine Protected Areas (SNAMP), with actions that will include the adjacent sea.

Flagship species

Biodiversity conservation

An approach to the rich biodiversity of the Marine Coastal Protected Areas (MCPAs), through these key species that we want to protect. Each one represents a vital link in the delicate balance of our oceans.

Black-browed Albatross

(Thalassarche melanophris)

Southern Giant Petrel

(Macronectes giganteus)

Magellanic Penguin

(Spheniscus magellanicus)

South American Sea Lion

(Otaria flavescens)

Southern Right Whale

(Eubalaena australis)

Southern Elephant Seal

(Mirounga leonina)

STRATEGY

"Coastal marine acupuncture"

Our actions are strategic points that, when activated, generate a collective impact on the well-being of marine ecosystems. These strategies are deployed on four interconnected fronts:

Territorial capacity building

Promotes training, education and awareness to strengthen territorial capacities and promote the sustainable management of Natural Protected Areas (NPAs).

Advocacy in public policies and strengthening of management tools

Promotes marine conservation policies and improves management tools, aligning them with national and international standards for officials, technicians, and key sectors such as fisheries and tourism in the management of Protected Natural Areas NPAs.

Facilitating access to information and public participation

Promotes transparency by facilitating access to relevant information and seeks to involve society through effective participatory processes in the responsible management of marine resources.

Effective communication and content generation

Emphasizes communication to raise awareness about marine conservation, using project data and achievements to generate results-oriented messages and improve accessibility to information.

Monitoring, Governance and Public Participation

Strengthening the adaptive management of MCPAs

Best practices to reduce bycatch

Mitigation and development of good fishing practices

Reduction of plastic waste from fishing sources

Ocean health and promotion of the circular economy

Comunication

Dissemination and awareness raising

RESULTS

Governance, Monitoring, and Participation

Monitoring
  • Monitoring programs designed for 2 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) 
  • 20 field training sessions conducted
  • Nearly 60 people trained, including: wildlife rangers, park rangers, and technicians from the Government of Chubut (including the Fisheries Secretariat)
  • +20 researchers from various disciplines participated as experts on monitoring objectives
Governance
  • 2 decrees establishing Management Committees:
    • Valdés Biosphere Reserve
    • Patagonia Azul Biosphere Reserve
  • Reactivation of the PIMCPA Interjurisdictional Management Commission
  • Design, facilitation, and compilation of the PIMCPA Public Use and Artisanal Fishing Program
  • 152 people from 32 institutions participated in planning, evaluation, and training activities related to the management of Coastal and Marine Protected Areas (ACMP)
  • Methodological guide for evaluating the effectiveness of interjurisdictional management: digital version
Participation
  • 107 people trained.
  • 100% course completion rate
  • Over 80% of participants reported increased skills and knowledge.
  • Over 100 people participated in the regional webinar (Latin America)
  • Production of final projects applied to their own MPAs
  • Publications:
    • Lessons learned on access to information and participatory processes in the management of Protected Coastal and Marine Areas (ACMP) in Argentina.
    • Escazú in Action: keys to more transparent and participatory environmental governance in Argentina’s Marine Protected Areas. 
Bycatch mitigation and best fishing practices
  • +400 students trained at the National Fishing School
  • 4 vessels equipped with electronic monitoring, achieving a 90% reduction in bycatch of albatrosses and petrels
  • 2,000 Seabird Fact Sheets
  • Update of the OSPA website with an interactive dashboard featuring over 20 strategic documents, developed through a partnership with the Argentine Fisheries System Observatory. Access HERE.
  • Document on Key Biodiversity Areas reinforcing the Yaganes and Namuncurá-Banco Burdwood MPAs
Reduction of plastic pollution from fishing and promotion of the circular economy
  • 1,329 km of coastline surveyed from land and air
  • 4 technical consultancies conducted, providing assessments and proposals for best practices in regulations, port cargo handling, waste management, and the circular economy
  • 7 cleanup days. 60 km restored in ACMPs and critical sites. 20 tons of plastic recovered
  • Protocol developed for coastal cleanups in Chubut’s ACMPs
  • Updated provincial assessment of the origin, dynamics, and impact of fishing plastics in protected areas of Chubut
  • 5 training sessions conducted with 350 participants from the fishing sector, ports, public agencies, and protected areas
  • 1st Multisectoral Workshop on Waste Management and the Circular Economy
  • Designated plastic waste collection site at the Port of Rawson
  • Signage installed at the Port of Rawson and posters distributed at strategic locations
Communication
WORK TEAM

Execute

Coordinates

Founding

Accompanying us

National Parks Administration, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Chubut, Ministry of Tourism and Protected Areas of Chubut, Undersecretary of Fisheries of Chubut.

PROJECT PROGRESS

Search