Errina antarctica | Foto: Pablo Zabala
The discovery of rare red hydrocorals forests offers new insight into Chile’s little-known patagonian sea and a call for its protection
Working with the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, the marine program of Rewilding Chile has discovered red hydrocorals in Chile’s Kawésqar National Marine Reserve, located in the Strait of Magellan. This rare and fragile species fosters one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and merits protection.
Scientists exploring the remote waters of Chile’s Kawesqar National Marine Reserve have made an incredible discovery that sheds new light on Patagonia’s little-understood marine ecosystems. They found animal forests of red hydrocorals, Errina Antarctica, which had never before documented this far south or at such shallow depths. In high concentrations, these corals form Marine Animal Forests (MAFs), rare ecosystems of exceptional ecological value found on only 0.1% of the Earth’s seabed. The scientific report, “The southernmost Errina Antarctica hydrocoral savannah in Patagonian waters,” has been published in the renowned journal Nature.
The red corals are known to be ecosystem engineers. “The structural complexity generated by MAFs on the seabed is used by numerous species to settle and live, hide, feed or reproduce, so they are also true hotspots of biodiversity,” explains Ana De la Torriente, co-author of the study and researcher at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography.
Slow-growing and highly sensitive to environmental impacts, red hydrocorals serve as an indicator of ecosystem health and functionality. They are key to the development of the seabed, but have no legal protection, despite their vulnerable state of conservation, according to the Regulations for the Classification of Wild Species in Chile. Industrial salmon farming, climate change and pollution all threaten their survival.
"The results of this study clearly demonstrate the presence of singular and unique ecosystems in the area. Therefore, it is necessary to implement management plans and strict protections to ensure their long-term survival.”
The animal forests of Errina Antarctica documented in the Kawésqar National Marine Reserve range in size from 0.14 to 15.8 cm, and cover up to 28.5% of the seafloor, at depths between 1.23 meters to 33 meters and deeper. Currently, 57 salmon aquaculture concessions are granted within the National Reserve and 132 new concessions are currently being requested. The consequences would be catastrophic for biodiversity, according to Ingrid Espinoza, Conservation Director of Rewilding Chile and co-author of the research.