Coastal Contamination Prevention & Marine Management Project (GEF)

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The Coastal Contamination Prevention and Marine Management Project in Argentina, aims at reducing pollution in the Patagonia marine environment, and improve sustainable management of the marine biodiversity. The three main components will: 1) improve preparedness, and responsiveness to maritime pollution, and oil spills, and, prevent ship-based pollution, through: a) improved analysis of contingency plans, using modern technology for database organization; b) extensive training in oil spill mitigation, and, in oil spill trajectory modeling; and, c) improved enforcement of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships regulations. Navigational risks will be reduced by introducing a marine electronic infrastructure program, through an enhanced vessel tracking system, and implementation of hydrographic mapping of critical zones; 2) improve knowledge base, and identify ecologically sensitive areas of marine biodiversity, by targeting programs to understand the dynamics of ocean production, and environmental degradation of the Patagonian ecosystem, including trans-boundary analysis to complete ecological identification, and inter-calibration of key marine laboratories. Marine protection tools will be developed, through analyses of regulatory, and technical aspects to pilot marine reserves, and, an action program will be developed based on the evaluation of incidental catch of birds, or mammals; and, 3) support capacity building, and dissemination practices on marine biodiversity protection, including monitoring and evaluation, and project management.