Chile's vital underwater forests face threats from mining, warming seas

PAPOSO, Chile, June 19 (Reuters) - In the cold seas off Chile's arid northern coast an underwater forest teems with life. Towers of red and green seaweed float upwards from the sea floor, providing food for wildlife, income for locals - and oxygen and carbon capture for the planet.
For scientists, these forests hold even more potential as sustainable protein, food and other materials, though they are threatened by warming oceans and human pollution.
"They form a belt along coastal edges, which is essentially a belt of protection and biodiversity for life," said Alejandra Gonzalez, a marine biologist from the University of Chile who specializes in marine ecosystem conservation.
She explained that seaweed produces oxygen and captures carbon dioxide, creating important carbon stores under the waves. "The future of the planet is seaweed," she said.
But these forests globally are under rising pressure, opens new tab. One example: kelp forests are declining at an annual rate twice that of coral reefs and over four times that of rainforests, a British Natural History Museum-backed report said in May.
"Before, these areas were very rich in seaweed, seafood, fish, things that most people in this town live off of, from seaweed harvesting," said Maria Jose Espinoza, leader of the local Changa indigenous community.
The Changa have lived off harvesting seaweeds for generations, but are worried as they've seen the forests shrink.
Espinoza blamed tailings waste from mining in the nearby copper and lithium-rich Atacama Desert region for harming coastal environments, as well as desalination plants being developed by miners he worried would hurt marine life.
Chile is the world's top copper producer and second largest lithium producer, with most mining activity in the north.
Diver Roberto Carlos Chango, out with his son to collect shellfish, agreed on the importance of the seaweed forests.
"Seaweeds are very important because they feed all animals. If there were no seaweeds, there would be no fish or shellfish," he said.
Sergio Gutierrez, a Changa seaweed harvester who works gathering the algae, drying it and bundling it to sell, said the marine forests were a key part of the community.
"They are the livelihood for our households and much more," he said.
With all the benefits the underwater forests provide for the environment and community, marine biologist Gonzalez says more policies to protect the forests are needed.
"All the marine organisms associated with (the forests) depend on their existence, so do humans," Gonzalez said. "These forests maintain temperatures, create a natural breakwater effect, and keep the ecosystem stable."

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Independent

6 hours ago

• The Independent

The simple test that could predict how long you will live

A new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology explored whether a simple sitting-rising test could predict premature deaths. Researchers tested 4,282 adults aged 46-75 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1998 to 2023, to evaluate non-aerobic physical fitness, including muscle strength, flexibility, and balance. The test required participants to sit and rise from the floor without using support from hands, elbows, or knees, with points deducted for any assistance or loss of balance. The study concluded that non-aerobic physical fitness, as assessed by this test, was a significant predictor of natural and cardiovascular mortality. After about 12 years, participants with a perfect 10 score had a 3.7 per cent death rate, while those scoring 0-4 points showed a dramatically higher death rate of 42.1 per cent.

Daily Mail​

11 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

The 10-second fitness test you can do at home to predict your lifespan

If you can't stand up without needing help, you're more likely to die in the next 10 years, a study suggests. Researchers in Brazil gave over 4,000 adults a flexibility test to lower themselves on to the floor from a standing position and then get back up. They were asked to do so with as little assistance as possible, such as using their hands, furniture or other people around them for balance. Participants were then scored on a scale of zero to five for both sitting down and standing up, starting with five points and then losing one for each type of support needed. The team found people who needed no help to sit down or stand up were six times less likely to die of heart disease or other cardiac issues within the next decade than those who wobbled or had more trouble. And each one-point decline in score was associated with a one-third greater chance of dying of heart disease or other natural causes like cancer. The test may be a good approximation because muscle strength and flexibility are thought to lower blood pressure and resting heart rate and reduce full-body inflammation, which can lower the risk of heart disease. Researchers said while other studies have used balance and flexibility tests to measure longevity, the new study is the first to measure 'muscle strength/power, flexibility, balance and body composition' all at once. Claudio Gil Araujo, lead study author and research director at an exercise-medicine clinic in Rio de Janeiro, where the data was collected, told the Washington Post: 'What makes this test special is that it looks at all of them at once, which is why we think it can be such a strong predictor.' The researchers looked at 4,282 adults in Brazil ages 46 to 75, two thirds of whom were men. The average age was 59. After 12 years on average, 15.5 percent of participants died of natural causes. Of those, 35 percent died of cardiovascular disease, 28 percent of cancer and 11 percent of respiratory diseases like pneumonia. At the outset of the research, each participant was asked to sit down from a standing position and then get back up after. They started with five points for each test and lost one point for every level of support they needed. This could include using their knees, holding on to a chair or taking someone's hand. Participants also lost half a point every time they lost their balance or seemed unsteady. Researchers then combined each person's sitting and standing scores to get the final result, with a maximum of 10. People who scored zero to four points total had a six-fold increased chance of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who got a perfect 10. Half of those who scored a zero on the test to get up off the floor died during the follow-up period compared to four percent of those who got a perfect score, an 11-fold difference. Additionally, participants who scored between 4.5 and 7.5 were two to three times more likely to die in the next decade from heart disease or other natural causes. Each one-point score decrease was associated with a 31 percent increased risk of cardiovascular death and 31 percent greater chance of death in the next decade from other natural causes. The researchers also found after adjusting for factors like age, sex and body mass index (BMI), people with a history of coronary artery disease were three times more likely to die from natural causes compared to healthy participants. There were several limitations to the study, however, including all of the participants being from a private clinic in Brazil, leading to a less diverse sample size. There was also no data on smoking status, a leading cause of death from heart disease and lung cancer. To try the test for yourself, Dr Araujo suggests finding a partner to score you and steady you if you start to fall. People with joint issues should avoid trying it due to the risk of unnecessary injury. Clear space around you but ensure there is a wall, chair or other support object nearby. Remove your shoes and socks and consider putting a pad down on bare floors. Stand with your feet slightly apart and cross one foot in front of the other. Lower yourself until you are sitting on the ground and then stand back up, trying not to use support. While there was a correlation between the scores and mortality, it is important to visit a doctor to get a full picture of health, as well as risk factors for different diseases.

BBC News

a day ago

• BBC News

Super cool picture of Sculptor galaxy revealed

Scientists have taken one of the most detailed pictures ever of a galaxy named Sculptor, and its pretty spent 50 hours using the European Southern Observatory's (ESO's) Very Large Telescope in Chile to map out the galaxy. The telescope, which is very powerful, is able to see much more than our eyes can, and the image shows thousands of colours. As well as being pretty amazing to look at, the new colourful image will help scientists gain new insights into the galaxy and space. Sculptor is a galaxy similar in some ways to our own - the Milky Way. It is considered to be something called a starburst galaxy, which means it has a lot of stellar action. As it is located 11 million light years away, it is considered to be not too close and not too far, meaning it is perfect for a great picture!The picture that scientists have taken is full of stars, glowing clouds and even even tiny objects called planetary nebulae. Why is this photo so special? The detailed photo means that scientists will be able to study this galaxy in detail. They hope it will help them understand how our own galaxy works. One of the astronomers involved is Enrico Congiu. They said: "I personally find these images amazing,""What amazes me the most is that every time I look at them, I notice something new - another nebula, a splash of unexpected colour or some subtle structure that hints at the incredible physics behind it all."