{"id":2190600,"date":"2026-04-04T06:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T04:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2190600"},"modified":"2026-03-27T13:21:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T12:21:18","slug":"theres-biological-treasure-here-chiles-endemic-seals-gain-protection-with-new-marine-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/theres-biological-treasure-here-chiles-endemic-seals-gain-protection-with-new-marine-park\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018There\u2019s biological treasure here\u2019: Chile\u2019s endemic seals gain protection with new marine park"},"content":{"rendered":"

S<\/span>ix decades ago, pioneering oceanographer and conservationist\u00a0Sylvia Earle\u00a0made a bittersweet discovery while diving off Chile\u2019s oceanic islands with the US National Science Foundation vessel, the Anton Bruun. She found the remains of a baby fur seal, one of the world\u2019s most isolated aquatic mammals.<\/p>\n

Endemic to the Juan Fern\u00e1ndez archipelago, in the Pacific Ocean, and once prized for its fur and meat, the species,\u00a0Arctocephalus philippii<\/em>,<\/em>\u00a0was believed to have been hunted to extinction in the 19th century. But, Earle said: \u201cA baby must have a mum and dad somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

A year after her\u00a0find, a small colony of 20 endemic fur seals\u00a0was confirmed on Robinson Crusoe Island, one of the archipelagos\u2019 three islands, named after Daniel Defoe\u2019s fictionalised tale of the real-life sailor Alexander Selkirk, who was marooned there from 1704 to 1709.<\/p>\n

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Pioneering oceanographer and conservationist Sylvia Earle. Photograph: Andy Mann\/Blue Marine Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The discovery was, she says, a \u201cmessage of hope\u201d and with it \u201cthe beginning of the turn-around\u201d to protect the archipelago, a haven for endemic wildlife and a biological hotspot, against other human-made threats including industrial fishing and the climate crisis.<\/p>\n

Today, after decades of action by islanders and conservationists, including Earle who described it as a critical\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cHope Spot\u201d\u00a0to protect marine life, the almost obliterated seal population has made a remarkable recovery. An estimated 200,000 fur seals now live around the islands, \u201creturning them to their previous role as key members of the ecosystem\u201d says Earle, now 90, who returned to the island to dive in December 2025.<\/p>\n

Last week, Earle and the 1,000-strong community of mainly lobster fishers were celebrating a new conservation win: earlier this month, in one of his last acts as the president of Chile, before\u00a0Jos\u00e9<\/a>\u00a0Antonio Kast was elected\u00a0on 11 March,\u00a0Gabriel Boric\u00a0signed a historic agreement to extend\u00a0protection of 337,000 sq km (130,000 sq miles) of the waters around Juan Fern\u00e1ndez and the nearby Nazca-Desventuradas marine park.<\/p>\n

Once implemented, the \u201cno take\u201d zone would extend to almost 1m sq km, making it third-largest such marine protected zone in the world. By doing so,\u00a0Chile\u00a0would protect more than 50% of its waters, putting it in a rare category alongside countries such as Panama and French Polynesia. It would prohibit all fishing, except for 12km from the coast, to allow the community fishers to work.<\/p>\n

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How the \u2018Gal\u00e1pagos of west Africa\u2019 is plundered by floating fish factories<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cNow we have a country that exceeds what most countries are willing to step up and do\u201d says Earle. \u201cAlthough there is increasing commitment for global ocean protection, Chile is out in front.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three years ago, countries agreed that\u00a030% of the world\u2019s national and international waters, along with its land, must be protected by 2030,\u00a0to protect biodiversity. This year,\u00a0a landmark global agreement to protect the world\u2019s oceans, known as the high seas treaty, came into force, a key part of the 30×30 goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is heartwarming to see the wishes of this unique and special community, many of whom I have known for over 20 years, rewarded for their commitment and perseverance by the Chilean government,\u201d says Max Bello, global MPA specialist at Blue Marine Foundation.<\/p>\n

The islanders and conservationists do have one more more hurdle to overcome: a tense wait to see whether the new Chilean government will agree to, or drop, the extension to the marine park under its ongoing assessment of the environmental laws put in place by the previous administration.<\/p>\n

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Robinson Crusoe Island, part of the Juan Fern\u00e1ndez archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. Photograph: Andy Mann\/Blue Marine Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The Chilean ministry of the environment told the Guardian, however, that its intention is not to eliminate protections, and that as long as there are no legal or technical issues with its review of the new protected area, it will allow it to go forward as planned.<\/p>\n

The proposed expansion of the Chilean no-take zone was prompted by the actions of the Juan Fern\u00e1ndez islanders and conservation NGOs. The fishers, who have about 50 small boats between them, have for decades practised stewardship of their fishery. In the early 1990s and early 2000s, they witnessed the damage caused by the \u201cgold rush\u201d industrial fishing of the orange roughy, a slow growing fish that gathers on seamounts to reproduce.<\/p>\n

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The Juan Fern\u00e1ndez community says the new protections will safeguard their culture and traditions as well as marine life. Photograph: The Juan Fern\u00e1ndez Archipelago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Various NGOs including the Blue Marine Foundation, Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy, Island\u00a0Conservation\u00a0and Fundaci\u00f3n Patagonia Azul were involved in supporting the community campaign.<\/p>\n

Industrial fishers used large mid-water nets that damage corals, the conservationists say, and the community soon became concerned by other threats to the unique ecosystem. When a survey\u00a0showed 98% of residents\u00a0in favour of extended protections, the fishers presented a proposal to the president.<\/p>\n

Julio Chamorro Sol\u00eds, a lobster fisher and president of the Organizaci\u00f3n Comunitaria Funcional Mar de Juan Fern\u00e1ndez, whose WhatsApp image shows a colourful tattoo of a lobster across most of his back, told the Guardian in a message: \u201cWe know the level of endemism we have and how fragile this ecosystem is. There\u2019s a biological treasure here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Thanks to conservation efforts the Juan Fern\u00e1ndez fur seal population has rebounded to an estimated 200,000. Photograph: Andy Mann\/Blue Marine Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

This article<\/a> by Karen McVeigh was first published by The Guardian on 23 March 2026. Lead Image: The discovery of a colony of Juan Fern\u00e1ndez fur seals on Robinson Crusoe Island marked the start of efforts to increase protections for the area. Photograph: Andy Mann\/Blue Marine Foundation.
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