Project Details

Mid-scale biogeographic pattern analysis for the development of a marine protected area (MPA) network plan in the Chilean Pataonian fjord region

With a coastline spanning more than 80,000 km, the Chilean fjord region is the most extensive fjord region in the world. The harsh regional climate and remote location have preserved the coastal waters from major human impacts until recently. Fast economic development including salmon farming, industrial and small-scale fisheries and infrastructure projects have considerable impact on the marine environment in the Chilean fjord region. But extreme deficiencies in the understanding of the marine ecosystems of this region, even on the most basic levels, make sustainable planning difficult. For large portions of the coast, organisms have never been surveyed and even in the better known areas, simple shallow-water benthic, or bottom, inventories result in a surprisingly high number of species, including more than 10 percent new species. The dramatic lack of data for the highly diverse near-shore marine ecosystems inhibits well-founded scientific recommendations for the management of activities which impact marine resources and makes irreparable large-scale management mistakes highly probable. In this situation, the creation of a properly designed network of highly protected MPAs provides the most realistic measure to prevent major species loss and some compensation for ecosystem degradation in non-protected areas. Currently, however, in Chilean Patagonia there is only one MPA of considerable size.

Vreni Häussermann's Pew Fellowship project focuses on the generation, compilation and communication of data which will inform and support the establishment of a network of MPAs to protect unique marine ecosystems in southern Chile.  She will facilitate the application of an innovative approach in which a software for conservation planning, MARXAN, will be used to detect the most problematic gaps in knowledge and data. The results will be used to selectively carry out expeditions for biogeographic (distribution of species both spatially and through time) inventory studies. She will apply a novel method for rapid and reliable bottom assessment. All data will be made publicly available in a geospatial format. An analysis of the results will be used to objectively identify priority sites for an MPA network in the Patagonian fjord region. In turn, new information that fills knowledge gaps may be used to support arguments in favor of the establishment of MPAs. Key information will be prepared, distributed to and discussed with decision makers, non-governmental organizations and the general public. Häussermann aims to increase awareness and appreciation of fjord biodiversity and the importance of sustainable management, conservation and in particular, MPAs as inherent parts of spatial planning in the “Wild South” of Chile.