The Juan Fernández Islands - Oceana USA · By Alex Muñoz, vice president for Oceana in South...
1
www.oystermarine.com 27 OCEANA protecting the world’s oceans Robinson Crusoe Island is a World Biosphere Preserve, a United Nations designation that denotes its vital importance to global biodiversity and awards it protections. Yet just five miles from the shore, the marine ecosystems surrounding the islands are unprotected from the damaging commercial fishing techniques of bottom trawling. This fishing method uses weighted nets to drag the seafloor, indiscriminately killing sealife and reducing corals and seamounts to rubble. It is the equivalent of clearcutting a forest to catch a few rabbits. Trawling is used to catch only two popular seafood species, the orange roughy – originally known as the slimehead – and alfonsino. Thanks to trawling, some ancient corals in the area have already been demolished. These slow-growing corals are the home for dozens of other species and it take decades or centuries for them to recover. Juan Fernández is still an ecological treasure, but it needs proactive protection in order to remain that way. It makes both scientific and economic sense. Oceana conducted a survey of divers last year that found they were likely to pay a premium if it meant seeing healthy marine ecosystems. Divers indicated they would spend an average of $55.35 more per dive to encounter vibrant coral reefs. Sailing to Juan Fernández, then, not only means an exceptional and thrilling experience for the sailor. It provides an economic incentive for governments to protect gems like these islands. Of course, if you go, be sensitive to the marine habitat and be watchful in order to avoid setting your anchor on coral reefs. Oceana has already succeeded in encouraging governments to proactively protect 640 million acres of seafloor from trawling north of the equator. Hopefully, the waters surrounding the Juan Fernández Islands will be next. In the meantime, making the islands a significant sailing destination will help bolster the argument for saving its rare and awesome natural beauty. OCEANA | Protecting the World's Oceans For more information: www.oceana.org 26 www.oystermarine.com Nearly four hundred miles from Chile’s jagged coastline lies one of the world’s hidden sailing destinations: the Juan Fernández Islands. This archipelago, composed of three volcanic islands among a series of seamounts, has been compared to the Galápagos Islands for its rugged beauty and incredible biodiversity, including dozens of endemic species found nowhere else in the world. But while the Galápagos have become a major destination, the Juan Fernández Islands remain relatively unknown. Isolation is a part of the island’s heritage. In 1704, sailor Alexander Selkirk deserted the Cinque Ports, choosing to remain on one of the Juan Fernández uninhabited islands rather than stay on a ship he considered unseaworthy. (The ship would sink just weeks later.) Selkirk lived on the island for four years and four months, surviving on the rich native flora and the meat of feral goats. His story and eventual rescue would inspire the classic novel Robinson Crusoe. Today, just 600 people live on Robinson Crusoe Island, the largest of the islands at 58 square miles. The islands remain one of the world’s great natural laboratories with a strikingly high percentage of unique native species. The islands are also home to the Juan Fernández fur seal, once thought hunted to extinction, and the incredibly rare Juan Fernández firecrown, a wildly coloured hummingbird. The Juan Fernández Islands By Alex Muñoz, vice president for Oceana in South America
Transcript of The Juan Fernández Islands - Oceana USA · By Alex Muñoz, vice president for Oceana in South...
www.oys te rmar ine . com 27
OCEANA pro tec t ing the wor ld ’s oceans
Robinson Crusoe Island is a World Biosphere Preserve, a United Nations designation that denotes its vitalimportance to global biodiversity and awards itprotections. Yet just five miles from the shore, the marineecosystems surrounding the islands are unprotected fromthe damaging commercial fishing techniques of bottomtrawling. This fishing method uses weighted nets to dragthe seafloor, indiscriminately killing sealife and reducingcorals and seamounts to rubble. It is the equivalent ofclearcutting a forest to catch a few rabbits.
Trawling is used to catch only two popular seafood species,the orange roughy – originally known as the slimehead –and alfonsino. Thanks to trawling, some ancient corals inthe area have already been demolished. These slow-growingcorals are the home for dozens of other species and it takedecades or centuries for them to recover.
Juan Fernández is still an ecological treasure, but it needsproactive protection in order to remain that way. It makesboth scientific and economic sense. Oceana conducted asurvey of divers last year that found they were likely topay a premium if it meant seeing healthy marineecosystems. Divers indicated they would spend an averageof $55.35 more per dive to encounter vibrant coral reefs.
Sailing to Juan Fernández, then, not only means anexceptional and thrilling experience for the sailor. It provides an economic incentive for governments toprotect gems like these islands. Of course, if you go, be sensitive to the marine habitat and be watchful inorder to avoid setting your anchor on coral reefs.
Oceana has already succeeded in encouraginggovernments to proactively protect 640 million acres of seafloor from trawling north of the equator. Hopefully,the waters surrounding the Juan Fernández Islands will be next. In the meantime, making the islands a significantsailing destination will help bolster the argument forsaving its rare and awesome natural beauty.
OCEANA | Protecting the World's OceansFor more information: www.oceana.org
26 www.oys te rmar ine . com
Nearly four hundred miles from Chile’s jagged coastlinelies one of the world’s hidden sailing destinations: the Juan Fernández Islands. This archipelago, composed of three volcanic islands among a series of seamounts, has been compared to the Galápagos Islands for itsrugged beauty and incredible biodiversity, including dozensof endemic species found nowhere else in the world.
But while the Galápagos have become a major destination,
the Juan Fernández Islands remain relatively unknown.
Isolation is a part of the island’s heritage. In 1704, sailor
Alexander Selkirk deserted the Cinque Ports, choosing to
remain on one of the Juan Fernández uninhabited islands
rather than stay on a ship he considered unseaworthy.
(The ship would sink just weeks later.) Selkirk lived on the
island for four years and four months, surviving on the rich
native flora and the meat of feral goats. His story and eventual
rescue would inspire the classic novel Robinson Crusoe.
Today, just 600 people live on Robinson Crusoe Island, the
largest of the islands at 58 square miles. The islands remain
one of the world’s great natural laboratories with a strikingly
high percentage of unique native species. The islands are
also home to the Juan Fernández fur seal, once thought
hunted to extinction, and the incredibly rare Juan Fernández
firecrown, a wildly coloured hummingbird.
The Juan Fernández Islands By Alex Muñoz, vice president for Oceana in South America
