Fewer than a thousand people live on the islands of the Juan Fernández Archipelago, roughly 670 kilometers off the coast of Chile in the Pacific Ocean. Most of them are fishers. For more than 130 years, they have managed their lobster stocks by self-imposed rules: no catches during the closed season, no egg-bearing females in the nets, sustainable fishing gear.
On March 10, President Gabriel Boric signed a decree placing 360,000 square kilometers of ocean around the Juan Fernández and Nazca-Desventuradas archipelagos under full protection. Together with existing marine parks, the total protected area now covers nearly one million square kilometers. Chile now protects more than 50 percent of its exclusive economic zone.
The decree originated from a proposal by the islanders themselves. Last year, they submitted a plan to the government calling for the expansion of conservation areas. Julio Chamorro Solís, president of the community organization Mar de Juan Fernández, put it simply: for generations, the community has lived in harmony with the sea. Expanding protections ensures healthy oceans, thriving fisheries and the cultural traditions of future generations.
The fully protected waters prohibit all forms of extraction, including fishing and mining. In the depths of the underwater mountain chains live endemic species such as the Juan Fernández fur seal, once thought to be extinct. Whales, dolphins, sea turtles and numerous fish species stand to benefit from the decision.
Pablo Manríquez Angulo, mayor of Robinson Crusoe Island, called the commitment a reflection of the community’s heart. It is not only about conserving biodiversity. It is about safeguarding culture, traditions and the future of the children.
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