Important Marine Areas
for Biodiversity
Seabirds and marine mammals of the Patagonian Sea, play key and varied roles in the marine ecosystem, and their conservation requires actions that extend beyond the protection of coastal breeding areas. Current conservation efforts are mostly restricted to coastal sites, such as breeding areas, but they are entirely insufficient to cover the annual and life cycles of marine top predator species.
The ocean areas important for top predators identified in this Atlas, may help to define resource management strategies that will take into consideration the requirements of marine biodiversity in general. Identifying areas of the open ocean as important for biodiversity conservation is specially critical for those environments impacted by fishing and oil exploitation.
Use of the Patagonian Sea by 16 Species of Top Predators
Albatrosses, petrels, penguins, sea lions and elephant seals are top predators that require large spaces and abundant food supplies for their survival. Thus, some species are good indicators of important coastal and pelagic marine areas, also highly significant for other marine biodiversity. The greatest important areas for the Patagonian Sea are:
- Coastal areas: the waters adjacent to the Malvinas Islands, the Staten Island and the Diego Ramírez Islands. The Valdés Peninsula as far as the northern end of the Gulf of San Jorge. These areas have been recognised as being significant for the biological diversity of the Patagonian Sea.
- Pelagic environments: far from the coast, and therefore out of sight, are less well known and thus tend to be ignored. The data suggest as important areas for top predators the oceanographic front associated with the slope area of the Patagonian Shelf, the ocean environment adjacent to the Malvinas Islands, the shelf-slope area at the latitude of the Gulf of San Jorge and areas influenced by the outflow of the Río de la Plata.
- Also important are the waters to the east of the Burdwood Bank and those of the polar front in the far south-east of the Patagonian Sea. A coastal-pelagic corridor between the Valdés Peninsula and the slope appears to be particularly important for migratory movements from the coast to the deep sea.
Seasonal Use of the Patagonian Sea by Top Predators
The areas most commonly used by albatrosses, petrels, penguins, sea lions and elephant seals reveal few seasonal variations. This is a significant finding, suggesting that the same extensive areas of the ocean are relevant during different periods of the annual and life cycle of the top predators.
During the spring (distribution map with green areas) and summer (red areas), the breeding season for most species, the coastal areas most used by predators are those near the colonies: the north of the Gulf of San Jorge, Peninsula Valdés, Diego Ramirez Islands and Malvinas Islands. Autumn (yellow areas) and winter (blue) correspond to migratory and long distance foraging trips for most species. The slope front continues to be important, particularly the waters adjacent to the Malvinas Islands, at the latitudes of the San Jorge Gulf and the Río de la Plata, and to the east of the Burdwood Bank.
