INACH scientists lead Antarctic conservation and light pollution research

Scientists from the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) are leading international efforts to address environmental stressors in Antarctica. During meetings of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in South Africa, researchers focused on the management of krill fisheries and the protection of marine ecosystems.

Key discussions included marine spatial planning around the South Orkney Islands to separate fishing zones from conservation areas, preventing mass krill harvesting from harming dependent species. Experts also reviewed monitoring plans for penguin and marine mammal colonies and discussed strategies to reduce krill capture in response to environmental changes.

In a separate but related research effort, the Dipole project is investigating the impact of artificial light pollution from research bases, vessels, and tourism. This multidisciplinary team is studying how constant illumination alters the biological cycles and activity patterns of Antarctic species, a factor that has previously received significantly less scientific attention than temperature increases or microplastics.