The long and winding road to the Punta Tombo Marine Protected Area: Mickey Mouse vs. powerful fisheries.

LAURA M. REYES; REBSTOCK, GINGER; GARCÍA BORBOROGLU, PABLO; BOERSMA, DEE; CALONI, NICOLAS; GIACCARDI, MARICEL; MARIA EVA GONGORA

Cape Town

Congreso; 9th International Penguin Congress; 2016

At their largest colony, Punta Tombo, Chubut, Argentina, active nests of Magellanic penguins declined >30% over 30 years. Reproductive success is low, feeding trips increased 45 km over 10 years, and starvation, the major cause of chick death, kills nearly 40% of chicks annually. A 210-ha Provincial reserve protects part of the breeding colony on land but until now there was no marine protected area (MPA). An MPA protecting the foraging area of adults with small chicks (a critical stage of the breeding cycle) could reduce chick starvation and adult mortality, and increase reproductive success. Using available science the Global Penguin Society (GPS) and the Government of Chubut Province promoted, designed and financed this initiative. The MPA created, located on the central Patagonian coast of Argentina,.includes 60 kilometers of coastline and will influence the management of 100,000 hectares extending 12 nautical miles offshore. Its main goal is to protect the feeding area of 500,000 Magellanic penguins that breed in nearby colonies. It also aims to protect the eco-tourism industry and improve the management of fishing activity. Nature-based tourism is one of the main sources of incomes and jobs for this region. The MPA is now one of the core areas of the recently designated Blue Patagonia UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Political interest in this MPA was garnered thanks to the visit of the Walt Disney Company during a very limited window of political opportunity to secure this protection. Seven days before the change of governors, legislators and President in Argentina, the Legislative Body of Chubut Province approved the MPA (Law 103/15). Science was important but political and economic interests behind the scenes were crucial aspects of negotiation. At the very last minute, fisheries brought pressure and politicians managed to stop the treatment of the law at the congressional plenary session. By then, scientific evidence was not even a variable on the table. Intense interaction with the media, current and future government officials, and travel agents that operate in Punta Tombo helped to balance the discussion. Final negotiations that reduced the originally proposed area and some changes in the draft law were successful in protecting foraging areas for penguins and a rich assemblage of other marine species using these waters