Civil society organizations from Chile coordinated their efforts and experience during the Workshop “Developing guidelines for the creation and management of Marine Protected Areas in Chile”.
Left to right. Top: Rodrigo Guijón (WCS Chile), Gustavo Chang (Fundación Meri), David Martinez (Fundación Omora), Yacqueline Montecinos (WWF Chile), Cristina Torres (WWF Chile), Eduardo Barros (Fundación Omora), Alejandro Correa (Costa Humboldt), Francisco Solís (Pew), Alex Muñoz (National Geographic Pristine Seas). Bottom: Andrea Michelson (Foro para la Conservación del Mar Patagónico), María Paz Gutierrez (WCS Chile), Carolina Jarpa, Daniela Castro (Pew) e Ingrid Espinosa (Tompkins Conservation).
In recent years, Chile has become a world leader in the creation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). 42% of its marine surface is protected through 9 marine parks, 5 marine reserves, 11 multipurpose marine and coastal protected areas and 10 coastal nature sanctuaries.
However, some challenges still remain in order to get the process of creation and management of MPAs to contribute effectively to the objectives for which these areas were created: effective management, funding, representation of ecoregions and ecosystems, strengthening of public institutions with participation and governance models, monitoring and evaluation of MPAs performance, among others.
In this context, members of Chilean NGOs spent 2 days talking about the guidelines and principles required to achieve good governance of MPAs in Chile in the framework of a workshop organized by the Forum for the Conservation of the Patagonian Sea.
Costa Humboldt, Meri Foundation, Omora Foundation, National Geographic Pristine Seas, Pew Environment, Tompkins Conservation, WCS Chile and WWF Chile were some of the organizations that participated in the creation of MPAs in Chile. That’s why they were invited to participate in the workshop in order to take advantage of the lessons learned during the process and to establish a guide of recommendations with the necessary mechanisms for the creation, administration and effective management of Chilean MPAs.
As a result, we expect to:
- Compile and hand in the main lessons learned in the process of creating and setting up MPAs in Chile.
- Establish a consensus among NGOs about the general guidelines and principles regarding the creation and implementation of MPAs, with respect to governance, financing and effective management.
- Agree as a unified voice on the technical recommendations needed to accomplish and sustain these conservation achievements.
A report based on these advances will be shared with the Chilean Ministry of Environment, in order to advance a common plan that strengthens governance for the effective management of MPAs.
The workshop, supported by Oceans5, was held on September 11 and 12 in Santiago, Chile, within the framework of the project “An integrated effort for the conservation of the biodiversity of the Patagonian Sea.”
