Argentina is celebrating the creation of Patagonia Azul Provincial Park, an immense coastal-marine area of 729,000 acres, roughly the size of Yosemite National Park in the US. Chubut province’s first marine provincial park, Patagonia Azul will provide crucial conservation measures for biodiversity and drive a new regenerative economy through nature-based tourism. (Header photograph by Maike Friedrich)
APRIL 30, 2025—RAWSON, AR The provincial legislature of Chubut has unanimously approved a law to create Patagonia Azul Provincial Park, marking a major milestone in Argentina’s marine conservation. Patagonia Azul is a key breeding, feeding, and migration site for a great diversity of life, but it has come under threat by industrial fishing. The new park expands a sliver of an existing coastal protected area to 729,294 acres (300,000 ha), safeguarding a marine coastal area roughly the size of Yosemite National Park in the US, and mandating a no-take zone throughout the protected waters.
According to Sofia Heinonen, Executive Director of Rewilding Argentina, “This is a resounding win for marine conservation. Patagonia Azul places under legal protection one of the most biodiverse areas of the Argentine Sea with over 50 species of seabirds, many of which nest in the more than 60 islands and islets with kelp forests, islands and rocky intertidal areas that support unique ecosystems where diverse kinds of sea life converge.”
The Southern Giant Petrel, one of the seven species named as natural monuments in Chubut Province, Argentina. (Photograph by: Kevin Zaouali)
The park is connected by a scenic byway spanning from the Cabo Dos Bahías Protected Natural Area south to Bahía Bustamante, which links key attractions via four public gateways. Visitors can explore bays and beaches, camp, and boat to uninhabited islands for wildlife watching with tour operators. Key species include Humpback and Sei whales, sea lions, Magellanic penguins, giant petrels and imperial cormorants.
Rewilding Argentina, with the help of Wyss Campaign for Nature, has donated 45,000 acres (18,000 ha) to form the future Tova Island Portal, a new entrance to the park and its islands. The foundation will also contribute to the development of campgrounds, a biological station, a port to allow for maritime monitoring, access for tour operators and the creation of the Huella Azul coastal trail. Rewilding Argentina will continue ongoing efforts to restore native kelp beds and monitor populations of humpback whales, petrels, penguins and sea lions.
The park is a joint project of the government of Chubut, Argentine National Parks Administration, non-governmental organizations, and the community of Camarones. Together these entities have been working to conserve and protect marine biodiversity, create public access to the sea and promote economic development and local employment.