The world needs to do more to protect the Antarctic wilderness and its wildlife, scientists warned Tuesday, as they marked World Penguin Day. The flightless seabirds—a favorite with children for their clumsy, waddling gait—offer a useful yardstick for researchers to judge the health of their habitat
A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck off the west coast of Chile on Monday, rocking the capital Santiago and briefly causing alarm along the Pacific Coast but sparing the quake-prone nation of any serious damage. The quake was centered about 137 km from Santiago, and some 35 km west of the coastal city of Valparaiso.
Researchers from the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) have started an oceanographic survey to assess micro-plastic contamination in both water and sediments off the coast of Galicia and Cantabria.
Chubut province in Argentine Patagonia has been declared in state of emergency and eight of its 16 counties in agriculture disaster as a consequence of torrential rainfall and mudslides which have left huge areas isolateds, or cut off from the communications network.
Chile will build the International Antarctic Center in the southern city of Punta Arenas, meant to become the entering point to the white continent for the world. The Governor of the Magellan region and the Chilean Antarctic, Jorge Flies stated this week that there were 35 projects developing in his jurisdiction, in three important areas.
Falkland Islands Tourist Board chairman Mike Rendell and Interim CEO Steph Middleton welcomed a large group of interested parties to the Chamber of Commerce last week for an informal end of tourist season ‘washup.’ Topics raised ranged from perennial issues such as easy access to the Totem Pole for tourists, to newer developments such as what to do with the new jetty.
Chile set aside 11 million acres of land for national parks aided by the largest private land donation from a private entity to a country. The conservation effort of the Tompkins Foundation helped pave the way for Chile to greatly expand its conservation of the pristine Patagonia wilderness.
Falkland Islanders are being asked to comment on proposals to recommend three Marine Management Areas (MMAs) to the Falkland Islands Government (FIG). These areas include some of the Falklands most pristine and vulnerable marine environments such as around Beauchêne Island and the Jason Islands archipelago, and include globally important populations of the Black-Browed Albatross and the Rockhopper penguin.
Barrick Gold and Shandong Gold, a Chinese company, have signed a strategic co-operation agreement that includes half the Veladero gold mine in Argentina. Shandong has agreed to purchase 50% of the Veladero mine in Argentina for US$960 million, and a joint venture will be created to operate it.
Comodoro Rivadavia, in Argentine Patagonia, also known as the Oil capital of the country is estimated to have experienced an 80% destruction of the city, according to a first report from an Army engineers' battalion sent to set up bridges and repair highways. The city suffered a week of historic torrential rains (330mm) and strong winds with flooding, mudslides which swept away with bridges and tracts of roads and major highways.