This #WorldOceanDay we are celebrating the discovery of rare red hydrocoral animal forests in the Patagonian sea! Re:wild partner RewildingChile, offspring of Tompkins_Conservation, recently shared this discovery from Patagonia’s largely unexplored and little-understood marine ecosystems, where they found the shallowest and southernmost animal forests of red hycrocorals up to this date. These red hydrocorals were found in the remote waters of Chile’s Kawésqar National Marine Reserve in the Strait of Magellan. These corals are very fragile, slow-growing, and highly sensitive to environmental impacts. Despite their importance to the health of the seabed and marine life as ecosystem engineers, they have no legal protection and are threatened by the development of industrial salmon farms in the reserve where they were found. This recent discovery highlights the importance of creating marine protected areas around the world, especially in vulnerable hotspots of biodiversity. : 1. Jose T...