South America’s oceans are rich in beauty and history and are home to many species endemic to the regions around Chile and Peru. Tourists flock by the thousands to soak up the natural charm of the oceanside villages, to indulge their gluttonous side by treating themselves to provincial cuisine and to take pictures of the panoramic views offered up by the gorgeous scenery. They wonder at the animals they have seen nowhere before, the black dolphin, the guano bird, the Humboldt penguin. And hopefully they might worry just a little about their impending fate.

The Nature Conservancy recently published a report titled ‘Priorities for Coastal and Marine Conservation in South America,’ focusing on the top ten threats to marine conservation in South America. The most important issue needed to be addressed is the amount of overfishing allowed in South American waters. Although exacerbated by other numerous environmental challenges and intense developmental pressures, overfishing remains the number one threat to sustainability and ocean conservation.



Overfishing remains a widespread problem due to the fact that many natives rely on fishing as their sole source of income. This reason, coupled with both domestic and international demands for seafood from South American waters only compounds the problem. Says Dr. Anthony Chatwin, author of the report, “ Unsustainable fishing practices not only wreak havoc on marine habitats, but they also undermine supply to markets which cause high prices for consumers.”

South America is home to more than 380 million people, most who live along the coastline, where the water is more than just a place to fish. Unprotected except for 3.4%, the oceans have become the country’s dumping ground for sewerage and all sorts of other pollution. Sediment from coastal erosion is slowly covering the gorgeous coral reefs, smothering and suffocating them in silt. Burmeisters porpoise, a species found only in this region is highly vulnerable to local extinction due to coastal exploitation and laws on regulating the catches should be established in order to reverse the rate of species expiration.

The study was apparently the first of its kind, because over 300 different experts from 85 separate agencies, governmental, private and educational, all offered their opinions and scientific findings in order to correctly investigate the marine and coastal environmental challenges. Other threats also presented were pollution, urban development, resource extraction, the hydrocarbon industry, aquaculture, maritime transport, tourism, invasive species and of course climate change.

Also featured in the report were suggestions about how to deal with other marine hazards, like erosions and overfishing of certain species that leave gaps in the eco-system. The report also suggested implementing specific zones for protected regions, up to 900 million acres in fact, in order to renew conservation efforts and make preservation of the ocean a major priority. South America is a continent that is also home to the largest continuous rainforest in the world, the Amazon. With both the land and surrounding seas full of unique endemic flora and fauna protecting what is so far not permanently damaged should be the chief prerogative of its people.