Chile has created a new law protecting the waters along its 6,400 kilometre coastline.
It means that through this new legislation an increase of the sea area under Chilean state protection from 4.3% to an astonishing 42.4% has been achieved, protecting marine life in approximately 1.4 million square kilometres of sea.
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Sea Lions in Patagonia/Chile - gettyimages
(they are likely to benefit)
The outgoing president, Michele Bachelet, signed the decree, which creates nine marine reserves. She stated, that Chile needed to establish the basis on which it would conserve its marine territory for the future. Recently Chile also signed into law a vast network of nature parks.
The Chilean Coastal Sea is the area in the Southeastern Pacific Ocean that runs along the length of Chile in South America. Considering that Chile itself is 4,270 kilometres long, its coastal area encompasses a large variety of habitats and ecosystems in addition to its open ocean habitat, including species of dolphins, porpoises whales and more. It also includes the large kelp forests.
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Map of Chile’s Coastline - flickr.com
“Imagine a land, at the tip of a continent, where the rugged coastline cuts into the ocean like a curved dagger, and the whales sing a different tongue. A land whose ferocious natives resisted several European invasions, but for a brief period accepted a French lawyer and adventurer as their king. This land of myth and adventure, where Sir Francis Drake reported seeing giants, caught the attention of even the worldliest travelers of old. Darwin, upon landing there in December of 1833, wrote ‘The first landing in any new country is very interesting, and especially when, as in this case, the whole aspect bears the stamp of a marked and individual character.’ ”
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Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia Chile. Photo: Bailey Hall - unsplash.com/photos
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Chile’s rugged coastline - southamerican5wikispaces.com
Even though for Chile the industrial fishing industry is an important factor (and it also calls fishing one of the most popular hobbies) the country has clearly demonstrated they can also be a leader in marine conservation.
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References
BBC News, 2018 (viewed 13.03.2018)
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