Uruguay
| ACTIVE PROJECT
Expansion and creation of Marine, terrestrial and coastal Protected Areas.
A new documentary by Gauchos del Mar, supported by Fundación Marejada, travels the country understanding its challenges in creating more protected areas and the possibility of creating binational parks with Argentina and Brazil.
At Marejada, we're supporting this project by lending our backing and bringing it to new audiences, so that the film doesn't just end on the screen but translates into concrete conservation efforts. The premiere is scheduled for January 2027, and it will be accompanied by a campaign in schools, universities, festivals, and the media.
NAME
OBJETIVO
PRODUCTION
DURATION
NARRATED BY
LANGUAGE
Antarctica - Domain One
(2023)
The official categorization of Domain One as a Marine Protected Area
Gauchos del Mar
01:33:34 min
Ricardo Darín (es)
Kelly Slater (en)
Spanish / English
The documentary follows the journey of water through Uruguay. It begins on the Uruguay River, in an area where a possible binational protected area with Argentina is being considered; it crosses the country from the mountains to the sea; and it ends in Albardão, the recently protected park on the border with Brazil and the largest in the country.
Throughout this journey, the film showcases the various forms that conservation can take: marine and terrestrial areas, private reserves, freshwater ecosystems, and the profound connection between mountain ranges, rivers, and the ocean.
The film was created in collaboration with scientists, marine biologists, journalists, and organizations that have been working in the area for years. They are the ones who describe the needs, challenges, and difficulties faced by conservation initiatives.
We are not here to replace that work. We are here to support and amplify it.
WHY URUGUAY
Uruguay pledged to protect 30% of its sea and territory by 2030. Today it protects only 0.7% of its ocean, one of the lowest figures in the region.
On land, the situation is similar: approximately 0.8% is protected. Since only 4% of the territory belongs to the state, much of the conservation depends on private landowners who choose to care for their own land. The film enters these reserves and shows a form of conservation that often begins with those who live and work on the land.
The survey also covers areas that still await protection. Among them is the continental slope, a vast underwater strip where the ocean floor drops into deep waters and which harbors an enormous diversity of marine life. Protecting this area would allow Uruguay to safeguard nearly 10% of its sea.
But the slope also overlaps with the area currently being explored for oil. The very place that represents the country's greatest conservation opportunity is the one that could be drilled.
ALLIANCES
Uruguayan Blue Sea
Environmental organization dedicated to marine conservation and the protection of biodiversity in the waters of Uruguay.
Assembly for the Water of the Santa Lucía River
Independent citizens' collective in Uruguay that defends the country's most important water basin.
Uruguayan organization dedicated to regenerating ecosystems and rebuilding the link between people and nature.
Utopia of the South
Initiative that promotes conservation, restoration projects and new ways of inhabiting territories in harmony with nature.
Nicolás García Uriburu Foundation
Foundation dedicated to preserving and disseminating the work and artistic and environmental legacy of Nicolás García Uriburu.
El Potrero Reserve
Protected natural area of Entre Ríos that promotes coexistence between production, conservation and sustainable development.
El Yerbal Reserve
Reserve located in the Sierras de Carapé that works to conserve and restore its native forests, woodlands and grasslands.
