Argentina’s New Patagonia Azul Provincial Park Secures A Vital Hotspot of Marine Biodiversity
Humpback whale in Patagonia Azul (Photo by Maike Friedrich, Rewilding Argentina)
The provincial legislature of Chubut has unanimously approved a law to create Patagonia Azul Provincial Park, marking a major milestone in Argentina’s marine conservation. Patagonia Azul is a key breeding, feeding, and migration site for a great diversity of life, but it has come under threat from industrial fishing. The new park expands a sliver of an existing coastal protected area to 729,294 acres (300,000 ha), safeguarding a marine coastal area roughly the size of Yosemite National Park in the U.S. and mandating a no-take zone throughout the protected waters.
According to Sofia Heinonen, executive director of Rewilding Argentina, “This is a resounding win for marine conservation. Patagonia Azul places under legal protection one of the most biodiverse areas of the Argentine Sea with over 50 species of seabirds, many of which nest in the more than 60 islands and islets with kelp forests, islands, and rocky intertidal areas that support unique ecosystems where diverse kinds of sea life converge.”
Patagonia Azul Provincial Park Map
The park is connected by a scenic byway spanning from the Cabo Dos Bahías Protected Natural Area south to Bahía Bustamante, which links key attractions via four public gateways. Visitors can explore bays and beaches, camp, and boat to uninhabited islands for wildlife watching with tour operators. Key species include humpback and sei whales, sea lions, Magellanic penguins, giant petrels, and imperial cormorants.
Rewilding Argentina, with the help of Wyss Campaign for Nature, has donated 45,000 acres (18,000 ha) to form the future Tova Island Portal, a new entrance to the park and its islands. The foundation will also contribute to the development of campgrounds, a biological station, a port to allow for maritime monitoring, access for tour operators, and the creation of the Huella Azul coastal trail. Rewilding Argentina will continue ongoing efforts to restore native kelp beds and monitor populations of humpback whales, petrels, penguins, and sea lions.
The park is a joint project of the government of Chubut, Argentine National Parks Administration, non-governmental organizations, and the community of Camarones. Together these entities have been working to conserve and protect marine biodiversity, create public access to the sea, and promote economic development and local employment.
Simultaneous to this, the legislature of Chubut declared seven marine species as Provincial Natural Monuments: Southern giant petrel, Commerson’s dolphin, broadnose sevengill shark, sei whale, humpback whale, South American fur seal, and white-headed steamer duck. The Chubut province has utilized this legal fixture for its most representative flora and fauna, those with high ecological value. Designating Natural Monuments, elevating them to the status of legal and cultural symbols within the province, prohibits the hunting, capture, or trade of these species. It also obliges environmental protection measures, habitat restoration, and education about each of the species’ importance to the marine ecosystem. Learn more at monumentosmarinoschubut.com.
Coastal trekking Patagonia Azul (Photo by Lautaro March)
A driving force to curb the worldwide climate emergency and the biodiversity crisis, Tompkins Conservation protects, rewilds, and defends land and marine ecosystems in the Southern Cone through collaborating to create national parks and rewilding key species. Working with public and private partners, the organization has helped to create 13 national parks, protecting 14.5 million acres. The goal is to restore a healthy planet with big, wild, and connected landscapes where animals and plants can thrive. This also means helping to build robust communities that benefit from a healthy natural world.
Kristine McDivitt Tompkins and Douglas Tompkins (1943-2015) founded Tompkins Conservation after leading iconic American clothing brands—Kristine as longtime CEO of Patagonia Inc, and Doug as co-founder of The North Face and Esprit. Changing course in the early 1990s to focus on conservation, they became two of the most successful conservation philanthropists in history. After Doug lost his life in a tragic kayaking accident in 2015, Kristine has continued to build on their foundation. She is now the president of Tompkins Conservation and a UN Environment Patron of Protected Areas.
A 501(c)(3) public charity, Tompkins Conservation carries out conservation projects through the nonprofit network of Rewilding Chile and Rewilding Argentina.
