Landau, April 2, 2026
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+++Wetlands Festival+++
In early February 2026, the City of Coquimbo and the NGO Oikonos hosted the first “Raíces del Humedal” festival in O’Higgins Park (1). To mark World Wetlands Day (February 2), they invited numerous organizations—including Fundación Sphenisco Chile—to organize a day dedicated to education, knowledge, learning, and the protection of the Peñuelas area. The aim was to raise awareness of the importance of “wetlands” and to highlight the value of these ecosystems. In addition, the campaign sought to bring public attention to individuals and organizations that are committed to protecting wetlands. Fundación Sphenisco Chile focused its efforts on the Humboldt penguin. Throughout the day, there were creative workshops, artistic performances, scientific activities, and community events for all age groups. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc9u_lbkZxk

Landau, March 27, 2026. The Humboldt penguin population has been severely reduced in recent years due to factors including the El Niño climate phenomenon, the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, overfishing, bycatch, and disturbances at breeding sites (1). Avian influenza (H5N1) has recently been detected again in Chile. On March 4, 2026, the State Agency for Agriculture and Livestock (SAG) confirmed the presence of wild animals in the Valparaíso region. Meteorologists are predicting a “super El Niño” for the end of the year. (2) As if all this were not threatening enough, President Kast’s new government is also halting the implementation of the “Humboldt Penguin Natural Monument” project. In doing so, those in charge are depriving this species—whose very existence is under serious threat—of potential protection (see “Kast Administration Halts ...” March 19, 2026).

Landau 25 March 2026. Dr. Alejandro Simeone has presented new figures on the population of Humboldt penguins (1) and confirmed the sharp reduction in the population - by 63% compared to 2021/22 - also for Chile. The current surveys are part of a 6-year research project commissioned by Sphenisco and are funded by the Karlsruhe Zoo Species Conservation Foundation, the Friends of Hagenbeck Zoo and the Dresden Zoo. The following text presents the most important result and the discussion of the results. Summaries, introduction, material and methods, further results, full discussion, acknowledgements and literature can be found in the full report (1) (2) (to be submitted later).

Landau, March 19, 2026. A month ago, Sphenisco reported on the designation of the Humboldt penguin as a natural monument. This status enhances the protection of this critically endangered penguin species. The joy was short-lived. Just one week after taking office, the new Kast administration put the designation on hold and announced that it would conduct a technical and legal review. There is concern that the decision will be reversed or put on the back burner. Like many other Chilean media outlets, the Radio BioBio online portal (1) also reported on the matter and provided a detailed account of the assessment by scientist Dr. Alejandro Simeone:

Landau, February 24, 2026.
Civil society groups in Chile and penguin lovers around the world can hardly believe it. First, on February 13, 2026, the Humboldt penguin was declared a natural monument by the Chilean government, thereby improving protection for this endangered species. Then, just eight days later, environmentalists celebrated another major success. On February 21, 2026, the Chilean judiciary's online portal reports on the Dominga project: "The Antofagasta Court of Appeals overturns all measures ordered by the First Environmental Court" (1).

Landau, February 2, 2026

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+++Literary competition “The Humboldt Archipelago in 110 words”+++
Following the great success of the literature competition in 2024, Fundación Sphenisco Chile announced that it would be holding the competition again at the end of 2025. The deadline for entries has now been extended to March 31, 2026. The winners can look forward to sailing trips to the Humboldt Archipelago (including a companion) and through the “Pingüino de Humboldt” nature reserve with observations of marine animals. The project is supported by the municipality of La Higuera, international organizations such as Sphenisco e.V., the sponsors Rostock Zoo and Ouwehand Zoo Foundation, as well as national and local organizations (see also article “Second Literature Competition...” from November 9, 2025).

Landau, December 2, 2025

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+++InfoPoint Yerba Buena+++
In the municipality of La Higuera, an information point on the Humboldt Archipelago ecosystem has been opened. It is the first in the municipality. (see the article InfoPoint Yerba Buena – Opening", October 16 and "InfoPoint – Information", October 23).

Landau, October 3, 2025

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+++ 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).

7th of August 2025

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+++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: