Call for cooperation to contain damage by Chile's salmon farms
The proposed Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) (Nature 465, 525; 2010) should be part of a broader complementary system of scientific input. This would help to coordinate data that fall under the remit of multiple international environmental agencies and agreements. And it would minimize the risks of duplication in scientific review and reporting. A global consultation of scientists and others, coordinated by DesertNet International and the United Nations Institute for Water, Environment and Health (www.desertnet-international. org), has suggested that an equivalent intergovernmental science-policy panel for land and water issues is needed. Otherwise, important independent questions are likely to be absorbed by the scientific bodies that advise on climate change and biodiversity loss. Crucial matters may not receive the policy attention they deserve if solely addressed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the proposed IPBES. Examples are the impacts of trends in population growth and demographic bulges; food and energy insecurity; migration; and ‘land and water grabbing’ by wealthy foreign companies in developing nations. Lindsay C. Stringer School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK e-mail: l.stringer@leeds.ac.uk Call for cooperation to contain damage by Chile’s salmon farms
Southward expansion of the Chilean salmon industry in the Patagonian Fjords: main environmental challenges
Chile is the second largest producer of farmed salmon in the world. After reaching a peak harvest of 631 000 tonnes in 2008, a severe sanitary and production crisis triggered a major legal and operational reorganization, and an imminent expan- sion of the industry into the Aysen Fjords System (AFS). This expansion has caused increasing national and international concern about its potential negative impact upon this pristine area, which holds a mosaic of unique ecosystems and three World Biosphere Reserves. This paper reviews and provides some upper bounds to potential impacts under two feasible production scenarios. It is con- cluded that severe but highly localized mid-term damage to the sea-floor bottom may affect up to 6200 ha. Although this surface area represents only 0.5% of the AFS, the high heterogeneity and limited scientific knowledge of local ecosystems increase the risks of damaging sensitive habitats, communities or populations. While additional inputs of up to 60 000 t of nitrogen and 8000 t of phosphorus can be predicted, the estimation of carrying capacities is a pendant and urgent task to be accomplished in this area. If current escape rates are not reduced, the average number of escaped salmon may exceed 4.4 million individuals each year, able to consume up to 6600 t of pelagic prey from local ecosystems. We recom- mend following a strict precautionary approach, not granting new farming leases until sufficient information about the risk and magnitude of these impacts is obtained and transformed into effective management actions.
AIDS research must link to local policy
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