CESIMAR - CENPAT   25625
CENTRO PARA EL ESTUDIO DE SISTEMAS MARINOS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES FOR THE WORLD´S MOST ACCESSIBLE KING PENGUIN COLONY
Autor/es:
GODOY, CLAUDIA; MUNOZ, LUIS; GARCIA BORBOROGLU, P.
Lugar:
Cape Town
Reunión:
Congreso; 9th International Penguin Congress; 2016
Resumen:
Responsible and sustainable tourism can help conserve and protect species and the environment, promote environmental awareness, and improve the welfare and livelihoods of local communities by supporting their local economies and creating decent jobs. Wildlife tourism encompasses non-consumptive interactions with wildlife but can cause significant disturbances to animals in their natural habitats when it is not properly managed. Wildlife tourism has been rapidly expanding, mainly in areas with iconic, accessible and predictable wildlife, such as penguins. In Chile there are several penguin colonies that are relatively accessible by land or sea, located in public or private land. In the Magallanes region, penguins are one of the main highlights of tourism. King penguins established a new colony at Bahía Inútil (53 27?42.11S, 69 18?32.42W), a bay to the east of the Magellan Strait. It is located on private land, within the Estancia San Clemente, and became the world´s most accessible colony for this species. Number of penguins range from 20 up to 160 depending on the month. At the beginning, before landowners were aware, visitors came to the area without any control or regulation clearly disturbing the prospecting individuals. In 2011, landowners created the Parque Pinguino Rey (PPR), and organized the touristic operation. A Management Plan was designed and implemented since 2011 and it is updated in accordance to the increase in the number of visitors. Visitor numbers grew 170% in the first year, 90% in the second and 47% in the third year with a total of 26,000 visitors since it was opened to the public. PPR has 32 hectares, but penguins are only restricted to a specific coastal area. The size and distribution of the colony limits the number of visitors while new infrastructure was designed to allow alternative observation points. The Management Plan includes research and education programs, supported by the Global Penguin Society, allowing to integrate new information and conduct an adaptive management approach. An interpretive outdoor information center including the local ¨selknam¨ aborigin culture will be in place next season to add a socio-cultural dimension to this attraction. Visitor satisfaction and opinion polls will be undertaken to learn about their expectations and receive suggestions about services, activities, places and infrastructure that could contribute to their experience. The current challenge is to improve the visitor experience minimizing the direct and indirect effects on the colony and the area.