Chile

Marine Protected Areas in Chile

The Republic of Chile borders the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of South America, and the Drake Passage to the far south. Chilean territory includes the Pacific islands of Juan Fernández, Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas and Easter Island. The Pacific coastline of Chile is 78,563.2 kilometers and its Exclusive Economic Zone is approximately 3,681,989 sq km.

Marine protected areas in Chile include federally designated marine parks, marine reserves, and coastal marine protected areas among others. MPAs include areas managed by federal, regional, and local governments as well as non- governmental organizations. Chile currently has 25 sites with marine protected area designations. The effectiveness of marine management in the Chile is limited due to lack of funding and resources to develop and implement management plans.

The Chilean government is currently working on a law that will put protected areas under one agency. This will facilitate a more streamlined approach to creating and managing protected areas- including marine and coastal zones.