Mobile Marine Monitor (M3) Deployed in Machalilla National Park, Ecuador

Blue-footed booby in Machalilla National Park, the "Poor Man's Galapagos".

In Machalilla National Park, Ecuador, Global Conservation is focusing on providing the systems, technology and training needed for park protection – what we call Global Park Defense. Global Park Defense provides a low-cost, highly effective system for protecting endangered MPAs, helping marine park authorities to detect suspicious fishing activity day or night.

Worldwide, Global Conservation has supported 14 Marine Monitors (M2s), which provide radar for fishing inspectors and wildlife rangers. Given the success of M2 deployments, we are now supporting distribution of next-generation marine-hardened, off-grid Mobile Marine Monitor (M3) trailer systems that can be shipped in standard shipping containers anywhere in the world.

This year, in Machalilla National Park, we have deployed and implemented the first international M3.

Machalilla's new M3.

About Machalilla National Park

Ecuador’s largest coastal park, a Marine Protected Area (MPA) called Machalilla National Park, is composed of two large islands and several islets. Its large islands, Salango and Isla de la Plata, are made up of diverse ecosystems ranging from tropical dry forest to coastal scrub deserts, while its sundry islets serve as critical feeding areas for an abundance of birds and fish. 

The rocky reefs and coral communities around these islands harbor stunning biodiversity, making Machalilla one of South America’s most important MPAs. The island is a breeding ground for humpback whales and a critical migration area for oceanic manta rays, as well as an important habitat for dolphins, sea lions, green turtles, sharks and rays.

On Isla de la Plata alone, about 175 species of bird have been recorded, including several threatened seabird species, an endemic mockingbird, and the only other known colony of critically endangered waved albatrosses outside of the Galapagos.

This coastal and marine park is also home to a myriad of animals including poison arrow frogs and black howler monkeys. Under the ocean surface, the park is just as full of life. It protects almost a third of the coastal fisheries in Ecuador. 

Ecuador recently implemented one of the country’s first ‘No Take’ areas in this park, banning all industrial and artisanal fishing within two miles of Isla de la Plata in order to allow regeneration of biodiversity that had been fished and hunted heavily until 2016.

Despite these regulations, in addition to poaching and deforestation ravaging the park’s terrestrial lands, there are currently thousands of commercial fishing boats that are depleting Ecuador's fish stocks every day. Commercial fishing affects threatened animals from Ecuador's beaches, which provide a nesting ground for turtles, to its rich oceans.

Protecting Machalilla National Park

When our partners at WildAid first started, intense fishing pressure was threatening the coast’s rich biodiversity. Ranger patrols were infrequent and sporadic due to a lack of resources and capacity. Today, Ecuador’s coastal MPA network employs comprehensive patrol strategies and vessel maintenance systems, as well as location-appropriate surveillance equipment and tools. Taken together, our work has provided a strong deterrent to illegal fishing activity in the region.

In February 2021, the first nest of highly endangered leatherback sea turtles to hatch in Ecuador in 40 years hatched near Machalilla National Park. Rangers have been successfully working to end the practice of egg consumption by the local community, and they now conduct 24x7 patrols on the nesting beaches during turtle nesting season.

Together with our partners, we successfully protected 1,269 sea turtle nests and 19,056 sea turtle hatchlings. Rangers conducted 7,790 sea turtle patrol hours and 410 field-based rescues for stranded or injured turtles. They also implemented 110 community outreach events, reaching 8,851 participants, focused on ending sea turtle egg consumption and the importance of sea turtle conservation.

In Machalilla National Park, rangers conducted 370 marine patrols throughout 2020, equal to 2,350 total patrol hours. They also shared best practices and helped fellow rangers improve their own operations in other MPAs along the coast. This peer-to-peer learning and cooperation means that illegal fishers through the coast will face stronger, more cohesive enforcement throughout the region and will no longer be able to take advantage of lax enforcement in certain MPAs.

GC also partners with the Anthropocene Institute to deploy their Marine Monitor systems, which provide radar for fishing inspectors and wildlife rangers. 

The M2 is a low-cost, radar-based monitoring platform for MPAs. The M2 system uses off-theshelf, commercially-proven radars and opensource software to enable managers of MPAs to track over 30 vessels in their area in real time. This allows those enforcing rules and regulations to efficiently allocate limited resources, which are otherwise wasted patrolling the vast ocean.

The next-generation marine-hardened, off-grid Mobile Marine Monitor (M3) trailer systems can be shipped in standard shipping containers anywhere in the world. We can now fit two fully-working M3s in a shipping container and deploy globally.

The Mobile Marine Monitor (M3) system.

Machalilla's new M3 system will provide 24/7 radar surveillance, enabling real-time response from the park's rangers to stop and board illegal fishing vessels in the no-take zone, especially at night. The M3 radar will play a critical role in strengthening enforcement throughout the coast and will significantly limit the ability of illegal fishers to move undetected from one MPA to the next. 

Using SMART technology to integrate data from M2s and M3s with other information sources, marine park rangers can more poaching arrests. In the marine forum, GPS, radio communication, laser & microwave sensors, and radar are used to monitor oceans and ports.

Inside the Mobile Marine Monitor system.

Like on land, the SMART system compiles important information about hotspots, fishing locations, smuggling routes, arrests, etc. All of this information makes patrolling and responses much more efficient. Targeted patrolling is especially key because of the vast expanse of the ocean.

We are aiming to help families, foundations and dive groups worldwide to deploy M2 and M3s in the most endangered UNESCO World Heritage MPAs, like Machalilla National Park, as we continue bringing the best ideas and technology, systems and training to Ecuador and globally.

We have the technology and systems to scale up. Now we need your support to do so. Click here to get involved today! 

Blue-footed boobies.