Boat International US Edition – June 2019

boatinternational.com• 062019

hefarsouthoftheSouthAmericancontinent,the
remotestreachesofChileanPatagoniaarehometo
severalspeciesofendangeredbird.Amongthemare
southernrockhopperandmacaronipenguins;
striatedcaracara,akindofraptor;andgray-headedandblack-
browedalbatrosses,bothnowcriticallyendangered.Theyhave
sufferedcatastrophicdeclinesinpopulationowingtotheclimate
change-drivendeclineinstocksofthesquidonwhichtheyfeed
andfishinggearinwhichtheybecomecaught.
ThecreationinJanuary 2018 oftheDiegoRamirez-Drake
PassageMarinePark,however,shouldhelpensuretheirsurvival.
The25thmarineprotectedareainChile,theseventhinPatagonia
andthelargestsuchparkinSouthAmerica,itextendsover
55,749squaremilesandastretchofoceanwitharichbiodiversity
ofitsown.Intermsofflora,itisthelocationofimportantforests
ofmicroalgaeandkelp,aswellasseaspongesandfossilized
coral,butitalsocontainstwosignificantunderseaphenomena:
theSarsseamount,whichrises13,000ftfromtheseabedalmost

tothesurfaceofthewater,makingitamongthelargest

underwatermountainsintheSouthPacific,andasubmerged

continentalescarpmentthatdropsdramaticallyintotheDrake

Passage,itselfanimportantmigrationrouteformarine

mammalssuchashumpbackwhales,dolphinsandsealions.

TheChileangovernment’sapprovalofthepark,whichwillbe

administeredbytheteamthatalreadyoverseestheexistingCape

HornBiosphereReserveprojectandprotectedbytheChilean

Navy,markstheculminationof 18 years’research.Thecampaign

waslargelydrivenbytheworkoftheSub-AntarcticBiocultural

Conservation Program, an international network of

organizationsdedicatedtoethno-ecologicalresearchandrun

undertheauspicesoftheUniversityofNorthTexas.Itsresearch

director,DrRicardoRozzi,said:“Thismarksamilestonein

marineconservationforthecountryandtheplanetbecauseit

integratestheregional,nationalandinternationalscalesto

harmonizeenvironmentalsustainabilitywitheconomicand

socialsustainability.”B

T

Sub-Antarctic Biocultural

Conservation Program

fortheDiegoRamirez-DrakePassageMarinePark

Judges’ Special Award for Marine Protection

(^2019)
OCEAN
AWARDS
THE WINNERS
The judges recognize joint winners
This newly established and
largest marine protected area
inSouthAmericawillbea
sanctuaryforanimalssuffering
fromdecliningfoodstocksand
fishinggearentanglement