The Cetacean Conservation Center (Centro de Conservación Cetacea or CCC) is a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

dedicated to the

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

of cetaceans and other marine mammals that inhabit the

coastal waters The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

of Chile. The CCC also engages in public education and information campaigns at the national and regional level.

Mission

Centro de Conservación Cetacea (CCC) is a Chilean non-governmental and non-profit organization that actively and effectively works on the conservation of marine mammals and their

aquatic ecosystems An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem formed by surrounding a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment. The tw ...

in Chilean waters. The goals in support of this mission are: #Promote effective arine conservationand management policies. #Conduct management and conservation related research on cetacean species and their

ecosystems An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

, with special focus on studying endangered species. #Identify and assess anthropogenic impacts on marine ildlifeand propose mitigation measures. #Promote the sustainable development of coastal communities through responsible marine wildlife watching activities. #Increase public awareness and promote the informed and active participation of people/government on marine biodiversity conservation as well as encourage the reduction of human impacts. #Strengthen national and international cooperation in marine conservation strategies

History

Since 2001, Centro de Conservacion Cetacea has conducted national marine conservation projects, including a wide range of areas like scientific research, public education, coastal community development and strengthening of marine conservation policies:
CHILE 2002, Our Opportunity to Protect Life”
that reached over 140 thousand people of all the country with an educational exhibit of life size inflatable whales and sharks. As a result, the government of Chile strongly opposed proposals oriented to down list

whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...

species from Appendix I and supported proposals oriented to include whale and basking

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

s in

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

Appendix II, during the 12th Conference of the Parties of CITES conducted in Santiago de Chile.
“Southern Right Whale Project/Chile”
a project that has been conducted since 2003 with the official support of th
Chilean Navy
and the cooperation of leading right whale conservation organizations from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. In 2008 the southeast

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

population of this species was classified as critically endangered by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

(IUCN) and the Chilean Navy granted maximum level of protection to the species.
Marine Mammal Sighting Network”
it has work effectively thanks to the support and cooperation of the Chilean Navy and more than 500 members that actively participate in recording of cetacean sightings and stranding events along the Chilean coast.

Alfaguara project The Alfaguara project is a marine life conservation project operated from Puñihuil in the northwest of Chiloé Island, the main island in the Chiloé Archipelago in southern Chile. "Alfaguara" was the name given to blue whales by Chilean whale ...

. It has consolidated as a scientific and coastal sustainable development project of national interest by receiving the official support of the Chilean Navy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education of Chile. The project has also identified the area with the highest sighting rate of blue whales in the Southern Hemisphere (northwestern

Chiloé Island Chiloé Island ( es, Isla de Chiloé, , ) also known as Greater Island of Chiloé (''Isla Grande de Chiloé''), is the largest island of the Chiloé Archipelago off the west coast of Chile, in the Pacific Ocean. The island is located in southern ...

) and has raised international awareness regarding the health status of this blue whale population by describing skinny blue whales and skin lesions associated to coastal pollution from the

salmon farming The aquaculture of salmonids is the farming and harvesting of salmonids under controlled conditions for both commercial and recreational purposes. Salmonids (particularly salmon and rainbow trout), along with carp, and tilapia are the three most ...

industry.
“Chile 2008, A Whale Sanctuary”
that was conducted during eight months in conjunction wit
Centro Ecoceanos
and th
National Confederation of Artisan Fishers of Chile
As a result, th
sanctuary was achieved in only eight months
with the unanimous support by the Chilean Congress of the bill/law that bans all types of whaling operations in Chilean jurisdictional waters (EEZ) and sets the basis for consolidating a national marine conservation policy. This is the first marine protection policy adopted in Chilean history and the most important measure taken until date in the country for the effective conservation of cetacean species and their marine environment.

References

External links

* {{conservation of species Science and technology in Chile Scientific organisations based in Chile Environmental organisations based in Chile Animal conservation organizations Marine mammal rehabilitation and conservation centers Animal welfare organisations based in Chile

Mission

History

See also

References

External links