Several civil society organizations, including WCS Argentina, have been collecting information on marine protected sites for many years, often with the assistance of recognized experts. In 2019, WCS Argentina began designing this website in a test version (beta) as part of a long-term collaboration, where government and civil society organizations that are knowledgeable in this field may participate. This website should continuously be improved and enriched, contributing to ongoing government initiatives such as Pampa Azul, the Federal System of Protected Areas (SiFAP) and the Information System on Biodiversity (SIB) of the National Parks Administration.

The purpose of this website is to make updated information on coastal and marine protected areas of Argentina available to government decision-makers, field personnel, researchers, educators and interested public, as a contribution towards effective management of these areas to increase marine biodiversity conservation.

The construction and use of a proficient, easily accessible information system can generate positive effects in the management of protected areas and on the value placed on them by different actors, from government decision-makers to tourists and local populations. Updated knowledge of every protected area is essential for adaptive management that seeks greater efficiency in achieving conservation objectives. Public access to up-to-date knowledge will be a contribution to the appreciation of protected areas by citizens. In addition, the academic sector will have better access to information to develop research on the contribution that coastal and marine protected areas make to the maintenance of ecosystem services and improvement in conservation status of habitats and species. NGOs, international cooperation agencies and donor organizations will have a tool to assess where the greatest priorities lie in terms of strengthening protected areas, mitigating threats or recovering wildlife populations.

The site was designed so that users with different levels of knowledge on coastal and marine protected areas can quickly find information of interest.

The person interested in exploring the subject for the first time may find the main (interactive) map found in “Home” helpful. The bright spots on the map indicate the location of each protected area. By enlarging the image with the “+” (zoom-in) button in the upper left corner, you will be able to enlarge until the perimeter of each protected area and its name are visible. By hovering and clicking the cursor on the bright spot, a window with basic information on the area will appear, at the bottom of which you will find a link to the technical data for each area (which opens in a new browser window).

Visitors in search of specific information on a certain area may wish to enter the “Protected Areas” section, type a keyword in the search engine, or search through the grid showing all areas to access files of each site. Information on each protected area varies, with some containing greater detail than others. Areas that currently have less information will be gradually completed as contributions from different institutions and experts is incorporated.

This section summarizes information on the quantity and percentage of coverage of coastal and marine protected areas at the national and provincial levels, based on our own calculations from cartographic information in the database. It should be noted that the utmost care was taken when estimating the surface of each protected area, using the best available information, either based on polygons provided by official entities or creating polygons with the limits defined in the law creating each area, using the recommended cartographic projection to accurately define the area and its surface calculation.

This section displays information organized by year, on each one of a set of well-known species inhabiting or visiting Argentina’s coast and sea. This includes its global, regional and national IUCN conservation status category, its population size and trend. Protection in Argentina provides information on the species colonies or stop-over sites including total number, with/without protection, number undergoing population growth, decline, no-change or unknown.  Protected areas that have colonies, stop-over sites or presence of the species are listed. Marine habitats that are heavily used are described and their corresponding marine protected areas are listed. References are provided.