Landau, October 3, 2025

C H I L E

+++ Scientists call for rejection of “Dominga” +++
Scientists from Chile and around the world conducting research in the Humboldt Archipelago have issued a statement urging the Chilean authorities to reject the “Dominga” mining and port project once and for all. The newspaper El Mostrador (1) reported on the statement on August 4, 2025 (see article “Scientists call for rejection ...” dated Septemb 2025 (see article “Scientists call for rejection ...” from September 18, 2025).

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.

Landau, 12 September 2025. The artist Jacklyn Gratzfeld (1) invites you to the exhibition "eARTh – 20 Years of Art and Nature Conservation Journeys through Four Continents" in the district hall of the Südliche Weinstraße. Around 30 works from the last two decades will be on display, including "Skylight oil paintings, Dance With Nature acrylic paintings, bird and animal portraits in chalk and animal etchings". The works provide insight into the artist's art and nature conservation journeys through Asia, the USA, Africa and the Palatinate region in Germany.

Landau, 3rd of September 2025. At the beginning of August, the renovation of the marine animal rescue center in Coquimbo was completed. The care of injured marine animals is jointly provided by the NGO Conservación Humboldt, the Universidad Católica del Norte-UCN (1), Sernapesca (2), and Sphenisco. The project is supported by Frankfurt Zoo, Halle Mountain Zoo, and Dresden Zoo. (See article “Renovation ... completed” from 8th of August).

La Serena, 11th of August 2025. At the beginning of August, the Pedro Pablo Muñoz School in the municipality of La Higuera hosted a ceremony to mark the launch of the textbook Dando valor al Archipiélago de Humboldt (1). The publication was created by teachers for teachers with the aim of teaching pupils about the natural and cultural wealth of this globally unique region.

The event was attended by pupils, parents, teachers from the school and local and regional representatives from public authorities. The pupils performed pieces of music, adding a special touch to the day.

Landau, 10 August 2025. Since 2021, a team of researchers led by Dr. Alejandro Simeone (1) has been conducting investigations on the population, breeding success and foraging of the Humboldt penguin in Chile on behalf of Sphenisco. The project is funded by the Karlsruhe Zoo Conservation Foundation, Dresden Zoo and the Hagenbeck Zoo Association. On these pages, the multi-year project was repeatedly reported. (2)

7th of August 2025

C H I L E

+++Research Population, breeding success and foraging+++

In May and June, Dr Alejandro Simeone's team once again studied the population and foraging behaviour on several Chilean breeding islands. Thomas Mattern (University of Otago, New Zealand) led the foraging studies and reported on 15th of June: "After a few intense weeks, I have now returned to New Zealand from Chile. The first week and a half of my stay was difficult due to the weather, but in the following three weeks, the work picked up speed. ... Here is a brief summary:

Landau, 1st of June
C H I L E

+++Population of Humboldt penguins+++
The last three breeding seasons have been cancelled due to a lack of food. El Niño and bird flu have reduced the Humboldt penguin population (see article ‘El Niño and ...’ from 25th of February 2025). It is only unclear how great the losses are. On 26th of May, researchers led by Dr Alexandro Simeone began to count breeding pairs again on the island of Pan de Azucar (1). Further counts are planned for June on the islands of Grande de Atacama, Ramada and Chañaral. In addition, GPS loggers and video cameras will again be used to investigate foraging behaviour on the islands of Choros and Chachagua, where breeding pairs will also be counted. Further counts are to be carried out on other important Chilean gross islands in October and November. The six-year research project is being funded by the Species Conservation Foundation of Karlsruhe Zoo, Dresden Zoo and the Hagenbeck Zoo Friends' Association. 

Landau, 7th of April 2025

C H I L E

+++Sphenisco Chile+++
Sphenisco Chile is focusing its work this year on citizen participation in the design of the Humboldt Archipelago Marine Protected Area. Nancy Duman's team will hold audiences with all the new regional and municipal authorities in the municipalities of La Higuera, Coquimbo, Freirina, La Serena, as well as the governors and environmental advisors in the regions of Atacama and Coquimbo. During the talks, the employees will advocate for the protection of the archipelago and its sustainable use. In addition to ongoing advocacy, the team plans to repeat the successful literary competition “the Humboldt Archipelago in 110 words” and continue the Sintonía Humboldt video podcast. The following projects are also to be realized:
- “Humboldt Penguins in the Neighborhood” (murals in villages),
- Humboldt Archipelago” traveling photo exhibition in the communities of La Higuera and Coquimbo,
- Organization of natural history hikes,
- the establishment of information points in the village of Chungungo and near Yerba buena.