08 Jan 2007 - Valdivia, Chile – Blue whale conservation
in Chile has received a boost with a seal of approval from
the country’s president.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelete conferred the Bicentennial
Seal — a national award recognizing initiatives that have
made a significant contribution to Chile’s development as
it approaches its Bicentennial in 2010 — to the WWF-supported
Blue Whale Centre for its work in the Gulf of Corcovado.
“This award proves that protecting our ecosystems and flagship
species such as the blue whale is a matter of interest not
only for scientists and environmentalist, but for Chile
as a whole,” said Dr Rodrigo Hucke-Gaete, Director of the
Blue Whale Centre.
“It is our obligation to protect and develop the mechanisms
to conserve our natural heritage.”
The Blue Whale Centre seeks to develop an integrated and
effective conservation strategy for endangered blue whale
(Balaenoptera musculus) populations in the Corcovado-Chiloé
marine ecosystem. Here, off the southern coast of Chile
one finds one of the most exceptional blue whale feeding
and nursing grounds known to date in the Southern Hemisphere,
as well as numerous other marine species, including humpback,
sei and sperm whales, and sea lions, seals and several dolphin
species.
However, human activities such as fishing, aquaculture,
shipping traffic and military exercises threaten the whale’s
relatively pristine marine environment. The centre, together
with WWF and other partners, is working towards the creation
of a marine protected area to secure the survival of the
whale population.
Following the bicentennial award ceremony, Blue Whale Centre
and WWF officials had the opportunity to meet with President
Bachelet to discuss and identify the next steps for the
declaration of a marine protected area for Chiloé
and Corcovado.
“The president was extremely interested in her visit to
the area,” said David Tecklin, WWF Chile’s Valdivia Ecoregion
Coordinator.
“She is very familiar with the legal process for establishing
marine-coastal protected areas from her former role as Defense
Minister, which has the authority to decree such areas,
and said she is committed to following-up on the issue with
the current minister.”
David Tecklin, Valdivia Ecoregion Coordinator
WWF Chile
