Panel discussion on progress and opportunities in effective ocean conservation at the Embassy of Chile in France

Within the framework of the activities of the Third United Nations Ocean Conference, the Embassy of Chile in France, OCF Mar de Juan Fernández and Fondo Naturaleza Chile organized a panel on effective marine conservation on June 12 in Paris.

[Caption above: Conversation panel. Photograph by Etienne Boulanger]

The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) took place from June 9 to 13 in Nice, and it was in this context that the Embassy of Chile in France, the Juan Fernández Marine Conservation Organization (OCF Mar de Juan Fernández), and Fondo Naturaleza Chile brought together experts, national, regional, and local authorities to discuss Chile's progress and the future of marine protected areas (MPAs), with an emphasis on the experience of effective conservation in Juan Fernández and the Desventuradas Islands. The meeting was held in Paris, at the Embassy of Chile in France, on June 12, and also addressed the progress of the Treaty on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdictions (BBNJ) and Chile's bid to have Valparaíso host the Treaty's Secretariat.

[Caption above: Chilean Ambassador to France, Raúl Fernández Daza. Photograph by Etienne Boulanger]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOiibYCX9CE

The event was hosted by the Chilean Ambassador to France, Raúl Fernández Daza, and then gave rise to a panel discussion in which Senator and Vice President of the Senate Board of Directors, Ricardo Lagos Weber; the Regional Governor of Valparaíso, Rodrigo Mundaca Cabrera; the president of OCF Mar de Juan Fernández, Julio Chamorro Solís; and the executive director of Fondo Naturaleza Chile, Eugenio Rengifo Grau, participated.

 [Pie de fotografía superior: Senador Ricardo Lagos Weber. Fotografía de Etienne Boulanger]

“This meeting allows us to highlight the challenges we still face, as well as the progress that has been made. From this perspective, I believe we should focus on the positive aspects of the situation and consider how to fill the other half of the glass,” stated Senator Ricardo Lagos Weber. “We have been able to improve our environmental institutions in Chile. We are not only discussing improvements to the environmental impact assessment service; there is also the bill to improve the Superintendency, we have the National System of Protected Areas (SBAP), the Climate Change Law, and we have made progress in establishing Marine Protected Areas (...). Among the remaining challenges are the implementation and application of this new institutional framework on the ground and, above all, the issue of resources,” the senator added.

As its central theme, UNOC3 focused on accelerating action and mobilizing all stakeholders to conserve and sustainably use the ocean. In this regard, the case of Juan Fernández and the Desventuradas Islands provided a concrete example of a community committed to ocean conservation.

 [Pie de fotografía superior: Asistentes en Embajada de Francia. Fotografía de Etienne Boulanger]

“This panel discussion allowed us to showcase the country’s protected areas and the ongoing process of closing the economic gap, as well as the fundamental role of the Chile Nature Fund in securing resources and effectively implementing these areas,” commented Julio Chamorro Solís, president of the Juan Fernández Marine Protected Areas Organization (OCF Mar de Juan Fernández). “Specifically, Juan Fernández was presented as an exemplary community in the creation and management of marine protected areas, and its expansion process was also discussed. This expansion, publicly announced by the Minister of the Environment before the United Nations, commits the country to increasing the protection of its Exclusive Economic Zone from 43% to 55%, placing us among the top three countries with the largest protected areas, after Palau and Costa Rica,” he added.

 [Pie de fotografía superior: Philippe Danton. Fotografía de Etienne Boulanger]

Among the guests was botanist Philippe Danton, who, along with Christopher Perrier, has worked for decades studying the flora of the Juan Fernández Archipelago, resulting in a meticulous study that helps preserve these endemic species, many of which are threatened with extinction due to the introduction of exotic flora and human activity. In 2009, Danton received the Bernardo O'Higgins Order for this research and his contribution to knowledge.

 [Pie de fotografía superior: Eugenio Rengifo, director ejecutivo de Fondo Naturaleza Chile. Fotografía de Etienne Boulanger]

“Together with leaders from the Chilean and French public sectors, the press, academia, and the private sector, we celebrated an unprecedented milestone: the Juan Fernández archipelago community now has its Annual Operating Plan, backed by concrete funding thanks to collaborative work with Fondo Naturaleza Chile and contributions from the private sector. This progress reflects what is possible when vision, commitment, and joint action are aligned. The Juan Fernández community provides a powerful example of local leadership with global impact,” concluded Eugenio Rengifo, Executive Director of Fondo Naturaleza Chile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUnGuN2xjao