Millennium Nucleus Center of Marine Conservation – CCM

Impact Area: Environment
Speciality: Ecology and Biodiversity

Along the coast of central Chile, human activities such as overfishing animals and algae produce serious, adverse effects on ecosystems. The consequences of human action can be irreversible if processes affecting the setup of ecosystems are altered, impacting the various benefits we get from them. The overall objective of this center is to move towards an understanding of the processes and biological interactions that affect biodiversity, population abundance, productivity and connectivity among coastal marine communities; also, understand how these processes are altered by fishing. Different forms of coastal resource administration that exist in Chile offer a unique opportunity to study and understand the social determinants of management, and to generate conservation plans that include all those involved, from legislators to fishermen and scientists.

This Nucleus Center is composed of an interdisciplinary group of scientists working in physical oceanography, ecology, social science and conservation planning. Their networks of collaboration with national and international scientists have contributed to solve central questions in the main lines of research of this initiative, and to create marine protected areas in Chile. An active and excellent team of outreach is behind the successful “Chile is sea” program, which transfers information about the care of marine ecosystems to society and promotes the active participation of citizens in conservation and management.

Miriam Fernández
Miriam FernándezDirector
Sylvain Faugeron
Sylvain FaugeronActing Director

Contact e-mail: contacto@conservacionmarinauc.cl
Communication e-mail: jbarraza@bio.puc.cl
Phone: +56 35 2431 670
www.conservacionmarinauc.cl