Dr. Leonardo Guzmán Méndez, senior researcher at the Fisheries Development Institute, reported that the seventeenth meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Harmful Algae (IPHAB) was held between March 18 and 20. It has been in operation since the 1990s as a way to stimulate cooperative work among the various countries that make up the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), an agency of UNESCO and therefore of the United Nations (UN). The IPHAB has two executive secretariats, one headed by the IOC and the other by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The focal point in our country, which mediates with the IOC Executive Secretariat, is the National Oceanographic Committee (CONA), chaired by the Director of the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Navy (SHOA). Since its inception, Chile has been a member of IPHAB, represented by a researcher from the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP), given the Institute’s role as a permanent advisor to the State on matters of fisheries and aquaculture, including environmental and health issues, including harmful algal blooms (HABs). IFOP has a recognized capacity in the field of HAB research, monitoring, and dissemination.
The meeting began on Tuesday, March 18, at UNESCO offices in Paris, France. Chile was represented by Dr. Guzmán, who commented that, as in previous meetings, global and regional work strategies will be addressed, considering three core aspects: scientific research, training of researchers and professionals from member countries working on HABs and their effects, and capacity building among coastal populations in countries affected by harmful blooms and aquatic toxins (public education and preparation of individuals regarding HABs and their effects). Therefore, the intention of these meetings is to develop knowledge that will, among other things, provide the capacity to address scientific questions such as the relevance of early warnings, forecasting systems, and harmful bloom control systems. But in general, this knowledge not only achieves a better understanding of blooms and their effects, but also allows us to understand how climate change, for example, interacts with harmful algae, affecting the distribution and abundance of microalgae and, of course, the biological processes that occur at the cellular and molecular levels of microalgae. The IPHAB meetings address the work developed between two sessions of the panel. This year, 2025, the work carried out since the last meeting, held in 2023, will be addressed. To this end, these meetings are structured with various working groups, in addition to the collaboration of international organizations within the United Nations system.
Finally, Dr. Guzmán reported that the conclusions and recommendations of the IPHAB 2025 meeting report will be presented to the IOC-I Assembly, which will be held in June at UNESCO offices. In Chile, they must also be reported to the CONA Assembly, both because of the importance of HABs at a global level and because they affect public health and certain productive activities, such as fishing, aquaculture, and tourism, in Chile. In Latin America, Chile is one of the countries that has managed to develop globally recognized capacities, and this has allowed the 21st International Conference on Harmful Algae (ICHA 2025) to be held in our country, which will take place between October 19 and 24 of this year, in the city of Punta Arenas. At least 500 researchers from at least forty countries are expected to attend the event.
