CHILE AND ITS MARINE PROTECTED AREAS. REGULATORY CHANGES, EXISTING PROTECTED AREAS, AND FUTURE CHALLENGES

Abstract

Chile faces a significant challenge regarding marine protected areas. Although it has extensive regions covered under various protection designations, there are serious deficiencies in funding, management, and representativeness of marine ecoregions. To address this, the Nature Law was recently approved, which entails profound institutional changes by centralizing the creation of protected areas, including marine areas, in the Ministry of the Environment and creating a new body responsible for managing all these areas, the SBAP.