Landau, 18 September 2025.
The newspaper El Mostrador (1) published a statement by scientists from Chile and around the world on August 4, 2025, urging the authorities to definitively reject the Dominga mining and port project.
"The national and international scientific community urgently calls for the definitive rejection of the "Dominga" project in the Humboldt Archipelago.
International Scientific Statement
The Humboldt Archipelago is an ecosystem of global importance. Thanks to its unique oceanography and exceptional biodiversity, it has been declared a multi-purpose protected area by the Ministry of Environment and recognized as a natural laboratory by the Chilean National Agency for Research and Development.
The area is the subject of more than 100 scientific publications and is established as an important location for cutting-edge research on climate change, fisheries, marine biodiversity and nature conservation.
Its waters and coasts are home to 17 species of marine mammals, including the fin whale, a threatened species endangered by collisions with ships. In addition, the Humboldt Archipelago is home to 49 species of seabirds, including the Humboldt penguin, also an endangered national symbol.
In addition, this ecosystem secures the livelihoods of thousands of people who have been involved in small-scale fishing for decades and have made their economic zone a national model. They are currently responsible for 80% of Locos (2) and Lapas (3) landings in the Coquimbo region. Tourism in the region is growing, with the Humboldt Archipelago being one of the most visited places in the Atacama and Coquimbo regions. Every year, thousands of people travel there to experience the spectacular nature with its unique observations of whales and birds.
In light of all this evidence, we, as members of the national and international scientific community working and cooperating in the Humboldt Archipelago, urge the decision-makers in Chile to protect this irreplaceable ecosystem, advance effective protection with the help of the management plan, and irrevocably reject the "Dominga" project. The project envisages the opening of a new maritime route, which, together with mining activities, is incompatible with the protection of the multi-purpose protected area. The protected area must be preserved at all costs, both for marine life and for the local population and their descendants."
The declaration was signed by:
1. Artur Andriolo – PhD Marine Biology, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil
2. Luis Bedriñana – PhD Marine Ecology, Universidad Austral de Chile
3. Max Bello – MSc Natural Resource Management, Blue Marine Foundation
4. Susannah Buchan – PhD Oceanography, Universidad de Concepción
5. Macarena Díaz-Astudillo – PhD Oceanography, COPAS Coastal, Universidad de Concepción
6. Dr. Sylvia Earle – Founder and President of Mission Blue
7. Camila Fernandez – PhD Oceanography, Director COPAS Coastal, University of Concepción
8. Alan Friedlander – PhD, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i
9. Carlos Gaymer – PhD Marine Ecology, Universidad Católica del Norte
10. Alicia Guerrero – PhD Marine Biology, University of Valparaiso
11. Laura Gutiérrez Cabello – MSc Oceanography, University of Concepción
12. Rodrigo Hucke-Gaete – PhD Marine Biology, Director Centro Ballena Azul
13. Guillermo Luna-Jorquera – PhD Natural Sciences, Universidad Católica del Norte
14. Franck Malige – PhD, CNRS UMR 7020, France
15. Diego Narváez – PhD Oceanography, Universidad de Concepción
16. Julie Patris – PhD, Université d'Aix Marseille, France
17. Felipe Paredes – PhD, Vice Chair, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas
18. Alejandro Pérez Matus – Associate Professor, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Subelab
19. María José Pérez-Álvarez – PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Chile, Institute Milenio BASE, EUTROPIA Research Center
20. Iván Ernesto Pérez Santos – PhD Oceanography, i-mar Center, University of Los Lagos
21. Marcel Ramos – PhD Oceanography, Universidad Católica del Norte
22. Gaetan Richard – PhD Marine Ecology
23. Macarena Santos-Carvallo – MSc Conservation, University of Valparaiso
24. Gonzalo Saldías – PhD Oceanography, Universidad del Bío-Bío
25. Kathleen Stafford – PhD Oceanography, Oregon State University
26. Maritza Sepúlveda – PhD Marine Biology, Universidad de Valparaíso
27. Joshua Stewart – PhD Marine Ecology, Oregon State University
28. Frederick Toro – PhD Oceanography, Universidad de Concepción
29. Francisco Viddi – PhD Marine Ecology, IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group & World Commission on Protected Areas.
W.K.
Notes
For better readability, the generic masculine is used in this article. The personal names used in the article refer to all genders – unless otherwise indicated.
(1) El Mostrador is a Chilean online newspaper
(2) Locos (Concholepas Concholepas) Trivial name for the Chilean abalone, a species of large edible sea snail.
(3) Lapas (Patella vulgate). Chilean name for the "common limpet", also a prized seafood in Chile.
translated by Erich Greiner
