Building local capacity for the sustainable management of marine wildlife in Patagonia, Argentina

Argentina's Patagonia region is home to rich aquatic biodiversity. The region faces environmental challenges —such as overfishing, mining and marine pollution— that threaten its aquatic fauna.

This project will build local capacity for the sustainable management of aquatic wildlife resources in Patagonia by training local scientists based at the National Patagonian Centre (CENPAT, Puerto Madryn, Chubut). Through a series of community talks and workshops, it will also teach local communities about Patagonian aquatic life, how animals interact with their environment, and how communities can help conserve aquatic resources. The project will also produce a short educational film on the management of Patagonian aquatic animals.

The project is a collaboration between Dr Cynthia Awruch (University of Tasmania and CENPAT-CONICET), Dr Alejo Irigoyen (CENPAT-CONICET) and world expert in the habitat use of aquatic animals Dr Adam Barnett (James Cook University).