"One of Chile's largest and most important Magellanic penguin breeding sites is situated on Magdalena Island in the Straits of Magellan. The island has been designated a national nature reserve because of its importance as a penguin breeding site, and the reserve is managed by the government agency Corporación Nacional Forestal.
The island is a popular tourist destination, so monitoring the effects of tourism is essential, in order to ensure sustainable use of the penguins as a tourist resource. Many years ago commercial fishing in the Straits of Magellan caused penguin populations to decline. However following designation of Magdalena Island as a nature reserve, the Chilean government established a no-fishing zone to protect the penguins.
The Environmental Research Unit, in partnership with the Chilean and British governments, has established a penguin monitoring programme on the island. The programme monitors the effects of tourism, and compares penguin populations on Magdalena, where commercial fishing is now banned, with those in the Falklands, where commercial fishing close to penguin breeding sites still occurs.
A population census of Magdalena Island during 2001/02 recorded a penguin population of over 60,000 breeding pairs, along with an assortment of other seabirds and wildlife. Click on the links below for survey maps and data in English and Spanish:"
