Landau, February 16, 2026. Civil society groups – including Fundación Chile – and scientists in Chile have achieved a major success in saving the Humboldt penguin. The declaration of the Humboldt penguin as a natural monument (1) marks a milestone in the conservation of biological diversity in Chile. On February 13, 2026, the Chilean Ministry of the Environment published the decision:

Landau, February 12, 2026. For five years, Movimiento Ambiental Camanchaca (1) has been committed to environmental protection in the municipality of La Higuera. The non-profit organization is based in the coastal village of Caleta Los Hornos and aims to protect the Humboldt Archipelago from exploitation and promote environmental awareness, sustainable development, and ecotourism. Camanchaca's main goal is to strengthen research, nature conservation, and tourism in the southern part of the municipality, as this area has been neglected in the past. The environmental group is a member of the Humboldt Coquimbo–Atacama Alliance (2) and is very active in the Corporación Turismo Sostenible de La Higuera (3). It is currently represented by Marcelo Alejandro Villalobos S..

Landau, January 22, 2026. On Penguin Awareness Day on January 20, conservationists and scientists in South America once again provided information about penguins. As on World Penguin Day in April, they drew the public's attention to this fascinating species, a miracle of evolution, and the threat of extinction facing some penguin species.

Landau, February 2, 2026

C H I L E

+++Literary competition “The Humboldt Archipelago in 110 words”+++
Following the great success of the literature competition in 2024, Fundación Sphenisco Chile announced that it would be holding the competition again at the end of 2025. The deadline for entries has now been extended to March 31, 2026. The winners can look forward to sailing trips to the Humboldt Archipelago (including a companion) and through the “Pingüino de Humboldt” nature reserve with observations of marine animals. The project is supported by the municipality of La Higuera, international organizations such as Sphenisco e.V., the sponsors Rostock Zoo and Ouwehand Zoo Foundation, as well as national and local organizations (see also article “Second Literature Competition...” from November 9, 2025).

Landau, January 30, 2026. In December 2025, Chilean media reported on a new bribery scandal in connection with the “Dominga” mining and port project of the Andes Iron company. Sphenisco reported on this on January 9, 2026, under the headline “New bribery scandal – were court rulings bought in favor of ‘Dominga’?” A new decision by the Court of Appeals in Antofagasta is currently expected in the “Dominga” case. This prompted Nancy Duman, president of Fundación Sphenisco Chile, to write a letter to the editor on the subject. The letter was published in El Mercurio, Antofagasta and Calama edition:

Landau, January 25, 2026. The marine animal rescue station in Coquimbo, northern Chile, is jointly supported and managed by the Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN) (1), Sernapesca (2), Sphenisco, and the NGO Conservación Humboldt (3). It is funded by the zoos in Dresden, Frankfurt, and Halle. At the beginning of January, Conservación Humboldt reported in detail on the development of the rescue station in accordance with the contract:

Landau, January 9, 2026. The Humboldt penguin population has declined sharply in recent years. The causes are bird flu H5N1 and El Niño, but according to Chilean authorities, (small-scale) fishing and destructive construction projects are also to blame. The controversial “Dominga” mining and port project by the Andes Iron company has the potential to cause significant damage to or destroy the most important breeding areas in northern Chile. The Andes Iron company and its “Dominga” project are currently entangled in another bribery scandal.

Landau, December 2, 2025

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+++InfoPoint Yerba Buena+++
In the municipality of La Higuera, an information point on the Humboldt Archipelago ecosystem has been opened. It is the first in the municipality. (see the article InfoPoint Yerba Buena – Opening", October 16 and "InfoPoint – Information", October 23).