Santiago de Chile (EFE)
A challenge that the extreme athlete decided to try to alert the world population of the urgent need to protect the oceans in the face of the unstoppable advance of global warming and the destruction of the planet.
Hernández, who trains on frozen lakes and already held a Guinness World Record for being the fastest person to swim an ocean mile through the Drake Strait in southern Chile, performed her last feat escorted by a cargo ship. the Chilean Navy with the aim of raising awareness about the future of the white continent.
“I am so happy and so relieved that everything went well. Swimming in Antarctica has been a dream I’ve had for years, and part of my long-standing ambition to swim in parts of the world’s seven oceans,” she said in a statement.
“Physically it has been incredibly hard, but it’s all worth it if the message about the need for urgent action to protect these wonderful waters reaches decision makers,” added the athlete and activist.
“The ice mermaid”, which is part of the group “Antártica 2020 leaders” that calls for greater marine protection in the region, performed her feat in a record time of 45 minutes and 50 seconds dressed in a simple balo suit and at -2 degrees celsius, through an area with waves near Greenwich Island, in the Antarctic peninsula.
Save Antarctica
“The courage that Barbara has shown in undertaking this swim on behalf of the Southern Ocean and protection is truly inspiring. For someone to risk their life to gain greater awareness of the problems in the region shows the urgency of the issue,” said Claire Christian, Executive Director of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition.
“We hope that the leaders take note and show political courage at the CCAMLR meeting in June to ensure the protection of these three large areas,” said the head of the aforementioned organization, with which Hernández is collaborating ahead of a meeting on the conservation of the ocean and the white continent to be held in Santiago de Chile in June.
There are currently three proposals for large-scale marine protection within the body responsible for conserving Antarctic waters – the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) – in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea and the Antarctic Peninsula.
Proposals that together cover almost four million square kilometers (1% of the global ocean), and that to date have met with opposition from China and Russia.
“Antarctica and the ocean that surrounds it and the wildlife that live there are coming under increasing pressure from the climate crisis. This is exacerbated by concentrated fishing in the krill range, which competes with food sources for much of Antarctica’s wildlife, such as penguin whales and seals that depend on krill for their survival,” explains Andrea Kavanagh, Pew Director Bertarelli Ocean.
Protect 30% of the global ocean by 2030
“Science has shown that marine protected areas are a key tool to help build the resilience of ocean habitats and wildlife to adapt to increasing changes in the region,” he added.
She recalled that ten years have passed since CCAMLR members agreed to have a Southern Ocean MPA network in place.
“In that time, we have seen climate change take its toll on the region’s biodiversity, and a more concentrated fishery for krill, the very heart of the ecosystem,” he said.
“At the same time, countries are committing to protect 30% of the global ocean by 2030, including last month with the adoption of the new Global Biodiversity Framework. This special CCAMLR meeting in Santiago offers a unique opportunity for leaders to show that they are serious about putting,” he added.
The Government and the Chilean Navy have been strong supporters of this initiative, together with Argentina, which is also co-author of the proposal for marine protection in the Antarctic Peninsula, which Hernández has also wanted to defend with his feat.
