Towards the creation of an integrated system of protected areas in Chile: achievements and challenges

Background: Chile is committed to extending its National System of Protected Areas (NSPA), focusing on eco-regions whose ecosystems are currently under-represented in the NSPA. A newly proposed law aims to create a Service of Biodiversity and Protected Areas that would unify the terrestrial and marine systems. The proposed law would allow the inclusion of private protected areas. Aims: We evaluate the current status of the conservation areas and propose an eco-regional plan that would allow reaching the overall target to bring 10% of all natural ecosystems under protection. Methods: A GAP analysis for all Chilean terrestrial and marine environments considered two protection scenarios: (1) public protected areas only, and (2) a combination of public and private protected areas. Afterwards, a multi-scale MARXAN assessment including 1367 conservation objects was carried out to identify suitable protected areas. Results: Chile does not meet its conservation target in four out of its 11 terrestrial eco-regions and in none of its eight marine eco-regions. To achieve the target of having 10% of all natural ecosystems (and conservation objects identified within them) under protection, an expansion of terrestrial public and private protected areas that currently cover 21.4% of Chile is required to reach 37.5%; marine protected areas need to cover 11.8% of Chile's exclusive economic zone. Conclusions: The under-represented conservation objects in protected areas in the highly biodiverse Mediterranean region require a proactive strategy towards establishing private protected areas. The proposed conservation law represents a first step in the right direction to extend the NSPA.