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A local approach
Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world, with
a surface of 2.7 million km2 and almost 4800 km of coastline.
As one might expect, the relatively small and mainly urban
population of about 36 million has as yet had little effect
on huge tracts of natural habitats. However, as a result of
modernization, certain habitats are being affected thus threatening
wildlife and the availability of natural resources in the
future.
This is the case in the Province
of Buenos Aires. Over 40% of the total population in Argentina
is concentrated in this Province, where the economy depends
on the use of natural resources as Commercial Fishing, Ranching,
Tourism, and Construction and Industrial activities. These
human actions exert strong pressure on the Buenos Aires coast.
Pressures for commercial exploitation and lack of alternative
resources affect important areas for local marine biodiversity.
From a biological point of view, the Buenos Aires coast includes
important breeding, resting and feeding areas for migratory
shorebirds and marine mammals, and it is also the habitat
for many several fish and invertebrate species. Many of these
are threatened species, and indicators of the overall health
of the coastal ecosystem.
Some areas appear to be especially vulnerable to certain effects
of environmental issues due to its condition of coastal wetlands
and its present and potential land uses and activities as
the Samborombon, Blanca and Anegada Bays.
Beach and dune areas suffer nowadays a critic process of coastal
erosion due to lack of urbanism plans and excessive exploitation
by tourism. In some places, the level of aquifers supporting
fresh waters to local communities has decreased, and signs
of marine intrusion has been recorded in many recreational
areas, such as Santa Teresita, Mar de Ajo, San Bernardo, Villa
Gesell and Mar del Plata.
The general welfare of our natural resources is at risk. The
decline of the Argentine hake, the precarious state of the
Whitemouth croaker, the reduced populations of sharks, and
the unknown causes affecting the almost extinct yellow clam
in our coasts, are just a few of the areas that require special
attention.
While the profits obtained out of human activities
on coastal areas are always assessed, both the threat and
the cost involved in such activities are generally ignored
or underestimated. We should protect our coasts through the
sustainable use of natural resources, as a consequence of
which we would provide social benefits, protecting the local
biodiversity.
For all these reasons, AquaMarina has been established
to help protect the coastal environment and its biodiversity
in Argentina.
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