Los Pingüinos Natural Monument

The climate can be described as cold and rainy, with an average temperature of 46 F. There are not large seasonal changes other than the temperature shifts between summer and winter. During the winter, the temperature may drop below zero, and during the summer, it may reach 64 F.[6] Average annual rainfall is 17 inches. High winds are reported by many who visit the monument.

Magellanic penguins on Magdalena Island

Very few species of flora are found on the islands, which may be due to the cold, windy climate, as well as the rocky substrate that composes the island. One species of short grass is found across Magdalena island.[7] The grass particularly thrives in areas with reduced animal populations.[8] The ocean surrounding Magdalena Island supports a large kelp population.[9]

The most notable fauna found at the monument is the Magellanic penguin, for which the site was named. Over 60,000 pairs inhabit the island, and it is these penguins that attract tourists to the site. Other important fauna include the imperial shag, sea lions and south American fur seals, who are known to rest on the islands, and two species of seagull: the dolphin gull and the common gull. Some of the rocky shoreline supports a mussel population.

The Magellanic penguin is not an endangered species, but it is close to becoming a threatened species due to the habitat loss and resource scarcity in many regions of South America. The penguins have much higher birth rates and chick survival rates on Magdalena Island than at other nesting sites, which have been disturbed by human activity. Because the penguins face threats at other locations, the preservation of the natural monument has become much more important. The islands are an ideal resource for the penguins because of the low predator abundance, high food abundance, and the isolation of the islands from the developed world, especially when the islands are closed to tourists [2]

Though tourism is well managed and does not pose a significant threat to the Magellanic penguins, there are several other potential problems that may arise for the penguins on Isla Magdalena. A minor concern is that many parts of the shoreline are experiencing erosion. The erosion is not occurring fast enough to require urgent attention, but over a longer timescale, it may decrease the surface area of the island and therefore the number of penguins that are able to nest there.

Another threat was discovered when the current monitoring program noticed a decline in penguin population during the summer of 2002–03. The monitoring report hypothesizes that the decline was due to a drought in the previous summer. The drought caused much of the grass covering the island to die, leaving the island susceptible to dust storms, which can destroy the penguin’s nests.[5] Because drought has such a large impact on the penguins, climate change, which is expected to cause a decrease in annual rainfall, may pose a serious threat to the survival of the penguins.

Additionally, many boats transporting oil pass through the Strait of Magellan, which poses the risk of an oil spill. An oil spill has the potential to have a serious negative effect on the penguins. Because this sort of catastrophe is impossible to predict, it represents the most drastic effect that would require huge efforts to restore the penguin population, which, depending on the size of the spill, may not be possible. Even if there is no spill, the oil trade presents a risk. Once the oil tanks have been emptied, they are refilled with water. Then, when the water is released, oily substances can be discharged from the boat. These substances make the penguin feathers worse at insulating, so the penguins leave the water, and then are unable to hunt for food and thus starve to death. If ingested, the oil can hurt the penguin’s digestion and immune systems.[10] There is not much that can be done to prevent these risks, other than cutting off the route through the Strait of Magellan, which may create too many complications for the oil industry for such a strategy to even be considered.

There are many concerns about how tourism may threaten the conservation efforts on the island, specifically in terms of penguin populations. For example, near Chiloe on the west coast of Chile, there are high levels of fishing both to sustain the tourist population and from tourists who themselves wish to participate in fishing.[14] Penguins are the main attraction for tourists and sustain the economy of the region, yet they are threatened by a decrease in food sources because of the high fishing levels. Another concern is that penguin behavior may change in the presence of humans, which may impact their viability and change the natural aspect of the environment.[16] Penguins are shown to produce stress-related hormones when encountering humans, though penguins who live at tourist sites produce fewer hormones than those who do not, suggesting that they have adapted and become more comfortable in the presence of humans.[16] Humbert penguins, for example, have been observed to have lower birth rates in the present of high tourism.[16] Magellanic penguins are believed to be able to better tolerate humans than other penguin species that exhibit stress responses when even one person is spotted at a distance.[17] While the Magellanic penguins may not be affected to the same degree it is still important to minimize human effects on them. Additionally, although Magellanic penguins may be able to adapt to the presence of humans, this does not necessarily occur quickly. Therefore, to give the penguins a chance to grow comfortable, it is important that some parts of the island are prevented from human intrusion. Having part of the area secluded allows penguins to become adapted at a distance before being comfortable enough to build nests in the human-visited areas.[12]

Yearly surveys of the penguin population on Magdalena Island have shown that their population is thriving and they are not experiencing negative impacts due to tourism. The monitoring program that has been going on since 1999 has been affective in providing an assessment of the penguin population so that management practices that keep the population at sustainable levels can be employed.[5] There are several management practices that have made the low level of impact possible. First, it is important that tourists remain on the marked path and do not cross the rope boundaries on either side. The path is 850 meters long and travels through much of the island, while still leaving large regions inaccessible to humans. By keeping tourists in limited areas, the effects of large numbers of tourists are minimized, and penguins maintain regions where they can avoid the stress caused by human presence. Additionally, the prohibition of fishing within 30 kilometers of the islands eliminates fishing as a tourist attraction. The lack of fishing as an option minimizes the impact of tourists on the environment and allows for sustainable tourism without threatening the food source of the penguins.[14] Another factor that improves the viability of tourism at the monument is the education that is provided to tourists as they travel to Magdalena Island. Reaching the island requires an hour-long ferry ride, in which most tour companies show an informational video and discuss what tourists can expect on their visit to the island and how they should behave. This information may play a critical role in limiting human impacts and potential destruction from tourists on the island. Similarly, the ferry system provides a large number of jobs for local people, including people to drive the boat, tour guides to speak during the journey, and ship attendants to sell food and direct tourists while on the boat. The ferry system therefore gives the Los Pingüinos national monument an advantage over other sites that may struggle to find ways to increase the economic gains without some loss of environmental resources.