Motu Motiro Hiva Marine Park
| Motu Motiro Hiva Marine Park | |
|---|---|
Interactive map of Motu Motiro Hiva Marine Park | |
| Location | Chile, Easter Island Province, Valparaíso Region |
| Nearest city | Valparaíso |
| Area | 150,000 km2 (58,000 sq mi) |
| Established | 4 December 2010 |
| Governing body | Sernapesca |
The Motu Motiro Hiva Marine Park, (also called informally Salas y Gómez Marine Park), is the largest marine park in Chile. It is around Salas y Gómez, in the far east of Polynesia. The park covers 150,000 km² of ocean. This is about 4% of the Chilean sea territory.[1]
Because it is far from South America, the island and the sea around it have very little human impact. The ecosystem is almost untouched.
History
In 2008, at the Deepsea Coral Symposium in Wellington, New Zealand, the idea to create a marine protected area around the Salas y Gómez and Nazca underwater ridges was presented for the first time.[2]
In 2009, the World Wildlife Fund published a study in the Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research. It gave scientific reasons to create a marine protected area.[3]
In March 2010, Oceana, National Geographic, Catholic University of the North, the Chilean Navy and other experts went on an expedition to Salas y Gómez Island. They studied the unique species and asked the government to create a marine park.[1] In August 2010, a technical report explained the main features of the future park.[4]
The decree creating the park was signed on 18 November 2010 by the Minister of Economy Juan Andrés Fontaine and the Minister of Environment María Ignacia Benítez. Pierre Yves, the son of ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, was also present.[5]
President Sebastián Piñera said the park was very important because it is a refuge for millions of seabirds and many fish and invertebrate species. Some of them exist only in this place.
However, Greenpeace criticized the creation. They called it a "paper park" because the decree did not forbid industrial fishing, including bottom trawling, which had damaged the area before.[6]
Management
The park is managed together by the Rapa Nui people and the Chilean state. The council has 11 members: 6 are Rapa Nui representatives chosen by election, and the other 5 come from different ministries of the Chilean government.[7]
Biodiversity
The waters around Salas y Gómez Island are one of the least disturbed marine places in the world. The island is important for seabirds and migratory birds that come to nest. Out of 93 seabird nesting sites in Chile, 12 are on this island. Species include the Christmas shearwater, the polynesian storm petrel, and the red-tailed tropicbird.[1]
Some studies say the nearby Nazca Ridge may be a reproduction area for blue whales that feed in southern Chile during summer.[8]
The Galápagos shark is very common in these waters. Local fishermen say they are found only here in great numbers. Other species include lantern sharks (Etmopterus), mollusks such as Nerita morio and Cypraea caputdraconis, and many invertebrates and fish living in the underwater mountains.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d "Parque Marino Salas y Gómez". Government of Chile. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ Gálvez, Mauricio (2008). "Seamounts of Nazca and Salas-y-Gómez: A review for management and conservation purposes" (PDF). Deepsea Coral Symposium 2008 4th ISDSC - Programme and abstract book. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ^ Gálvez, Mauricio (2009). "Montes submarinos de Nazca y Salas y Gómez: una revisión para el manejo y conservación" (PDF). Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research. 37 (3): 479–500. doi:10.3856/vol37-issue3-fulltext-16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ^ "Informe técnico (R.PESQ.) N° 81/2010: Fundamentos para establecer Parque Marino Salas y Gómez" (PDF). Subsecretaría de Pesca de Chile. August 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ^ "Ministros anuncian en Cimarq creación del Parque Marino "Motu Motiro Hiva"". Vitrina Ambiental UNAB. 19 November 2010. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "Greenpeace critica propuesta sobre parque marino de Salas y Gómez". 7 October 2010. Archived from the original on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ Ministerio de Economía, Fomento y Turismo (2010-12-04). "Decreto 253: Declara Parque Marino Motu Motiro Hiva". Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ Hucke-Gaete, R.; Mate, B. (12–16 December 2005). Feeding season movements and fall migration to wintering areas for Chilean blue whales. 16th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals.