Marine Biodiversity Monitoring on Rocky Shores in Argentina

As part of the international MBON Pole to Pole initiative, researchers and conservation agents from across the continent are working together to implement standardized protocols for marine biodiversity monitoring. In Argentina, ProyectoSub actively participates in this network, contributing to the monitoring of rocky intertidal habitats in Marine Protected Areas and other key sites along the Atlantic coast.

This effort aims to generate comparable data over time and across the continent, integrating field science tools, artificial intelligence, and open digital platforms.

Why is monitoring important?

Rocky shores host biological communities that are highly sensitive to environmental changes. Systematically recording their biodiversity helps detect early transformations—whether due to climate change, human impacts, or natural processes. The information collected feeds into global data networks (such as OBIS) and directly supports decision-making in marine conservation.

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What is ProyectoSub doing?

Since 2023, ProyectoSub has been working in collaboration with CONICET, the National Parks Administration, and other institutions to implement the MBON protocol in various coastal locations across Argentina. Through training, workshops, and field trips, we help design and apply this non-invasive monitoring tool, based on photoquadrats and automated analysis of benthic imagery.

We also coordinate local logistics for regional project workshops, including the recent 2025 edition of the 5th MBON Marine Biodiversity Workshop, held in Puerto Madryn, Península Valdés, and Estancia San Lorenzo.

Where do we monitor?

Monitoring is carried out at representative rocky shore sites along the Argentine coast, including locations both inside and outside National Parks. Some of the monitored sites include:

– Península Valdés (Punta Norte and Puerto Pirámides)

– Punta Tombo Protected Area

– Islote Lobos

– Monte León

– Tierra del Fuego (Ushuaia, Karukinka Reserve)

These sites are part of a broader network of over 15 active locations across Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.

MBON Pole to Pole Monitoring Protocol

Download the updated rocky intertidal monitoring protocol, co-developed by scientists, resource managers, and protected area personnel during the MBON workshops held in Argentina in 2023, 2024 and 2025:

👉 Download MBON & AMPs protocol (PDF)

In this video, you can watch a biodiversity monitoring training session held in Argentinian Patagonia during the MBON Pole to Pole workshop in Camarones, Province of Chubut: