The event, held at the University of Belgrano on June 5, was attended by renowned specialists who addressed the environmental problems of the region and the oceanic challenges at the global and local levels, proposing sustainable strategies with prospects for implementation in the short and medium term.

The day was inaugurated by Dr. Lilian Ferré, director of the Biological Sciences, career of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, who also acted as moderator of the presentations.

The meeting was organized in two blocks. In the first, on the occasion of World Environment Day, Mr. Gonzalo del Castillo, political scientist and executive director of the Club of Rome Argentina Foundation, and Mr. Lucas Gómez Ríos, professor at the University of Belgrano, specialist in biodiversity conservation and technical analyst of the Blue Corridor Program of the Wetlands Foundation / Wetlands International, participated.

Gonzalo del Castillo’s presentation, entitled „Beyond the limits of growth: ecological collapse or environmental regeneration“, stressed that the environmental problem is not only technical, but also ethical, cultural and civilizing. For this reason, he criticized the paradigm that considers nature only as a „resource“ and stressed the need to recognize ourselves as part of it. In addition, he emphasized the urgency of transforming education and the dominant worldview to achieve profound and sustainable changes.

For his part, Lucas Gómez Ríos presented the exhibition „Transformations of wetlands in the Paraná Delta: reflections on urbanization and territorial management“, in which he described the multiple problems faced by the wetlands of the Blue Corridor. This initiative seeks to conserve and strengthen the health, connectivity and sustainability of the wetland system that makes up the Paraná-Paraguay river course. This corridor extends for approximately 3,400 km, from the Pantanal in Brazil to the Paraná Delta in Argentina, maintaining a continuous flow without barriers and a highly interconnected natural system.

The second part, dedicated to World Ocean Day, featured presentations by naturalist Miguel Iñíguez, president of the Cethus Foundation and magister in Environmental Education, and Dr. Marcelo Morales Yokobori, vice president of the NGO Mundus maris, professor and researcher at the University of Belgrano.

Miguel Iñíguez’s presentation, entitled „Cetaceans: a window to the ocean“, addressed various species, including the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis), whose historical population in the southern hemisphere was around 250,000 individuals, reduced to less than 4% due to intensive hunting. The capture of around 35,000 specimens between 1780 and 1820 in the waters of Argentina and neighboring countries was highlighted.

Thanks to its protection, the species has become a symbol of cetacean ecotourism in Patagonia, evidencing a remarkable recovery that has even exceeded the carrying capacity in areas such as the Valdés Peninsula and favored its expansion towards Mar del Plata, Tierra del Fuego and other coastal areas. Sighting tourism has generated significant economic benefits and contributed to the creation of new marine protected areas.

It was also highlighted that this whale was one of the first species in the southern hemisphere to show the impacts of climate change: the retreat of ice masses has modified their migratory routes and reduced the availability of krill, affecting the nutritional quality of breast milk and, consequently, the survival of the young.

Dr. Marcelo Morales Yokobori presented the proposal „The 4 Blue Notebooks“, an initiative that participated in the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) held in Nice the following week. This educational and participatory project promotes ocean literacy through personal stories, cultural reflections and life experiences linked to the sea.

Each notebook addresses a different issue, collecting contributions from young people, teachers, fishermen, scientists, and coastal communities. Thus, the diversity of links that people establish with the oceans is highlighted and global awareness of their care is promoted. The proposal invites dialogue, writing, sharing and action in favor of the seas, promoting intercultural empathy and collective commitment to ocean sustainability. This approach is expected to contribute to reversing ocean degradation and ensure their long-term resilience.

The event closed with the screening of the short documentary Missing Sharks, by photographer, journalist and diver Martina Álvarez. This work exposes the alarming decline of little-known shark species that inhabit seas and oceans around the world, many of them on the verge of extinction without even knowing how many individuals remain. Through testimonies from scientists, conservationists and coastal communities, it is made visible how bycatch, overfishing and lack of data are silently driving the disappearance of these key predators for the marine balance. The documentary is an urgent call to include these „invisible“ species in global conservation efforts before it is too late.

We are grateful for the collaboration in the organization of the event to Sofía Ziliotto, senior student of the biology career.