Here’s the link to watch the full episode: Episode Chile Conectados.
At the event, our Executive Director, Marcela Ruiz, attended the final of Avante and shared our experience as the winning team of the first edition of the competition.
As shown in the video, our technology, through the installation of “smart buoys,” aims to protect marine wildlife from potential collisions with vessels.
You can watch the full report at the following link: Episode
Marcela Ruiz, our Executive Director, explained the partnership with Compañía Minera del Pacífico and its benefits. The program also participated in the inauguration of the “smart buoys” alongside local authorities and the teams from Acústica Marina and CMP.
During the interview, he mentioned, “We are used to thinking that aquatic environments are very quiet, and we don’t fully understand how sound behaves.”
You can listen to the full interview at the following link: Full interview
Opening speech by Marcela Ruiz
During the event, Marcela Ruiz, our Executive Director, stated:
“It has been a long but very rewarding journey working together with CMP. We greatly appreciate that they have trusted this initiative, which is also technology developed by a 100% Chilean transdisciplinary team. Our work focuses on providing technological solutions for sustainable mitigation measures for both the ocean and the rich wildlife of our coasts. This is from the perspective of triple impact, where economic, social, and environmental value is created in the decade of ocean sciences for sustainable development.”
Other authorities at the ceremony shared their thoughts on the project.
Claudia Monreal, Deputy Manager of Development at CMP, expressed, “We are proud and happy to launch this project, which has been a great challenge and has required extensive collaboration with various organizations, but especially with Acústica Marina.”
Rodrigo Peñaranda, Rear Admiral of the Chilean Navy and Director of the Research and Development Program said, “I find what Acústica Marina is doing in collaboration with the Navy fantastic. This challenge began in 2020, and to see them today developing their product and obviously supporting ocean sustainability is a very important initiative.”
Raúl Julio, President of the Totoralillo Norte Artisanal Fishermen’s Union, noted, “Anything that advances science is good because it helps us protect the environment and the marine ecosystem. It’s a great initiative for the private sector to place these buoys in the sea, so that people who are not familiar with the marine ecosystem can see that the company is making an important effort to preserve and conserve the local marine life.”
This project aims to detect marine fauna and vessels through a Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance System (hydroacoustic MCV) that will generate real-time alerts, focusing on the study and conservation of marine life. The initiative also includes an acoustic immersion room for educational use by visitors to the area, along with scientific and technological knowledge that will record and process sounds in the sea.
It is important to note that this is a passive acoustic monitoring system, meaning it does not generate acoustic pollution, and each buoy is powered by solar energy.
The conservation and mitigation measures primarily benefit the community of La Higuera, in the locality of Chungungo. However, the project plans to install a network, initially at the local level, with the aim of expanding nationally to monitor marine fauna, mainly cetaceans, in real-time. This includes whales, dolphins, penguins, and other animals that inhabit or transit through the area.
During the forum, various topics were addressed, including women’s leadership, empowerment, and women’s participation in decision-making spaces. “For our part, we presented the work we have been developing in collaboration with CMP, where we are global pioneers in implementing smart buoys in a port as an initiative to protect our ocean.”
WEF is the world’s most important economic forum created by ALL Ladies League, the largest women’s chamber in the world, with over 1,000 chapters and a network of more than 1,500,000 inspiring women across 150 countries.
