Chile has shown major commitment to the protection of its seas in recent years, trebling its marine protected areas between 2010 and 2020 to cover 43% of its ocean surface, and being one of the first nations to ratify the UN High Seas Treaty in January.
For Maximiliano Bello, this leadership is part of a significant change in Chilean society, toward a much greater appreciation of the ocean. Working on ocean issues for over 20 years, Bello is currently a policy advisor for Mission Blue, an NGO working to protect marine life.
In this interview with Dialogue Earth, he discusses changing perceptions of the sea in Chile, the challenges ahead, and the role of Latin America in protecting the ocean.
Dialogue Earth: During your career, what has changed in how ocean and environmental issues are dealt with in Chile?
Maximiliano Bello: There has been quite a radical change since I started working on these issues. Twenty years ago, people in Chile had no idea that we have sharks or whales. There was a lot of ignorance, partly because of the separation between land and sea in our consciousness. That has changed, especially with young people. They are up to date with the wonders of the ocean.
On the more political side, there has also been a very strong change, not only in Chile. Until COP25 [in 2019] the ocean was not part of the climate change discussions. We now see a constant interest in global ocean policy, for example with the expansion of marine protected areas or the recent international agreements on oceans.
In February, there was a survey in Chile that asked what made us proud to be Chilean, and marine protected areas were one of the main things. It’s something I wouldn’t have imagined, but it fills me with pride. If a politician reads something like this, he realises that he must have proposals on the subject.
What has influenced the shift in Chile’s environmental policies?
There was an awakening in the 1980s to stop sacrificing the environment for progress, and to protect heritage. This occurred as investment projects for the forestry industry were being discussed, as were the impacts of certain industries, such as coal, on communities in the country.
Today, the environmental issue is at the forefront of political, social and economic discussions. We Chileans are leaders in discussions on the moratorium on deep-sea mining and the protection of the high seas and Antarctica, for example. It does not mean that we are perfect: Chile has a lot to do on salmon farming. It is our black spot.
What is the main thing that the Global North misunderstands about Chile and its ocean?
The countries of the Global South are the ones that have the resources, but we have not been able to understand or recognise the power that this brings. While on the part of the developed countries, the vision of negotiation has always been adjusted to their interests.
I have spoken to US diplomats about marine protected areas, something in which we are leaders in Latin America, and I think it is an area with potential for collaboration. The United States has tools to help protect those areas and we can show what we have achieved. One successful example has been the signing in 2022 of Americas for the Protection of the Ocean, an agreement to create a marine corridor from Patagonia to Alaska. It is an idea that comes from the south and reaches north. The United States and Canada should open a door beyond their own interests, to see what Latin America wants. We have similar interests and face the same threats.
Much of the planet’s diversity is in developing countries. We have a gigantic wealth that is the answer to the environmental crisis we are experiencing
Ocean policy is fully intertwined with global politics. We see this in discussions about Antarctica and the high seas. Political and economic tensions are increasingly reflected in the ocean. We are on our way to 10 billion people on the planet, but the resources we have remain the same. The pressure on those resources is going to be increasing and the ocean is seen as the last frontier. We must protect the ocean before it is too late.
How do Latin American countries’ Antarctic policies and interests differ from those of other countries?
Antarctica is a place of scientific and political experimentation. During the Cold War, countries agreed to protect it with the Antarctic Treaty, which gives us hope that even in the darkest of times it is possible to reach agreements. Today we are also facing a dark time, with a lot of pressure on fishing [in the region], especially from countries that subsidise it, such as China and Russia. It is a scarce resource in a vulnerable environment.
Argentina and Chile made a joint submission to create a protected area [around the Antarctic peninsula], but, like other proposals, it has not progressed in almost 10 years. We have been discussing how to create a larger coalition among the countries of the region, with Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil. We should also bring China into this discussion – it tends to be left behind, but it has to be invited to be part of these processes. Otherwise, every time a conservation issue is raised, we will have the same kind of roadblocks.
What are your expectations for the role of the ocean this year at the COP16 biodiversity summit in Colombia and the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan?
COP16 offers an opportunity to take stock of where we are today. We have five years left to meet the objectives of the biodiversity agreement and the situation is worrying. We are far from 30% ocean protection [which many countries have committed to achieve by 2030]. I think it is wonderful that it is in Colombia, which has already met 30% and is going for more.
Regarding COP29, the concern is that pressure from oil groups will be maintained, given that Azerbaijan is a country with a strong interest in fossil fuels. Beyond that, it is important that people do not lose hope in these global meetings. It’s the tool we have to make agreements, whether we like it or not.
Do you have hope for the future?
I am very hopeful. I am working in East Timor, one of the poorest and newest countries, with a sad history of occupation and torture. It is important that a country with many other concerns is interested in ocean protection. I was invited to be part of the prime minister’s team to define where to make marine protected areas. It is the most coral-diverse country on the planet.
Much of the planet’s diversity is in developing countries. We have a gigantic wealth that is the answer to the environmental crisis we are experiencing. If we manage to protect and change this history of extractive use and violence towards nature, we will have an opportunity to get out of the environmental crisis.
