This plenary meeting, an annual face-to-face event open to Forum members, has been held since 2004, with the participation of conservation specialists from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.
“The Plenary gives us the opportunity to share progress and reflect on the future, where we want to go,” said Alejandro Vila, president of the Forum.
As in previous plenary sessions, new organizations expressed their interest in joining the Forum, making a brief presentation of their objectives and activities. They were Ibracon (Brazilian Institute for Nature Conservation) and Azara, and it now remains for the Forum’s Steering Group to receive and approve the documentation accompanying these applications, according to the procedures established in the Forum’s regulations for the acceptance of new members.
“As we are 28 organizations from four countries, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Chile, we have multidisciplinary approaches and we have to dialogue and listen to the voices of all. We work by consent, or by consensus, to reach conclusions, define our strategies, our work plans, and thus achieve a greater impact on biodiversity conservation,” said Andrea Michelson, regional coordinator of the Forum.
Within the framework of this meeting, two proposals for local visits were made, a whale watching trip and a visit to the San Pablo de Valdés reserve, managed by Fundación Vida Silvestre and located on the coast of Golfo Nuevo.
As a result of the 2024 Plenary, a declaration was drafted, the “Declaration of Puerto Pirámides”, in which the network of organizations that make up the Forum sought to synthesize the strategic lines of work set for the coming years in order to make them publicly known.
Open Fair and “Lobo” Orensanz Award
At the same time, on Wednesday 28th, all the organizations present participated in a meeting open to the inhabitants of Pirámides, giving life to the first Forum Fair, a space exclusively for dialogue and exchange with the community.
The activity -which was attended by families, young students, tourist guides, whalers, among others- took place in the Municipal Hall, where the participating organizations shared their experiences, videos and publications in the area of marine conservation that each of them works in.
The closing of the plenary session took place on Thursday 29th, with the attendance of authorities from the Municipality of Pirámides. Mayor Jorge Luis Perversi received a plaque of appreciation from the Forum for the municipal authorities and the local community. He was accompanied by secretaries Pedro Angiolini (Government), Marcela Fernández (Tourism), Marena Villalobo (Culture and Sports) and Daniel Casielles (Environment and Technology).
Also at the close of the plenary meeting, the “Lobo” Orenzans Award was presented to Alejandro Vila, president of the Forum. The award is given every year to a member of the Forum for his or her contribution to conservation, and is decided by a vote of its members. The award is a tribute to the memory of José María Orensanz (1945-2015), a renowned marine biologist who, among other things, is remembered for the protection of the San José Gulf (Chubut province, Argentina) from bottom trawling.
Ecocentro Puerto Madryn
To close the activities, on Friday morning, August 30, the Forum held an event to celebrate its 20 years of creation at the Ecocentro Puerto Madryn. More than 100 people attended, including collaborators, partners, authorities and researchers related to the Forum and marine conservation.
After the introductory words of Alejandro Vila, president of the Forum, a video summarizing the achievements obtained during two decades of collective work was presented, and three inspiring talks on the care of the sea and its ecosystems were given.
The first of these, given by Valeria Falabella (WCS Argentina), invited participants to dive into the ocean depths and be transported to the depths of the Agujero Azul (Blue Hole), with “El lado luminoso de la oscuridad” (The light side of darkness).
This was followed by a navigation, led by Sergio Palma (EDF Chile, and former vice-president of the Forum) through different seas, in which he emphasized the courage required to face the mission of caring for marine environments. It was entitled: “Miremos el mar con ojos frescos” (Let’s look at the sea with fresh eyes).
The third talk was given by Mayra Rocha (OCC Uruguay) and was a call for reflection and the use of the senses to rethink the connection between humans and marine life, “Volviendo a casa” (Coming home).
The three talks can be seen and listened to on the Forum’s Youtube channel.
The meeting was moderated by Andrea Michelson, Regional Coordinator of the Forum, and Daniela Castro, Coordinator of the Chilean Node.
At the closing, and with the participation of Nadia Bravo, Undersecretary of Conservation and Protected Areas of Chubut, and Cecilia Pavia, Secretary of Tourism of Puerto Madryn, plaques were presented to authorities of the Government of Chubut, Puerto Madryn and Ecocentro.
The attendees were invited to share a lunch.