A balance sheet carried out by the Santos Basin Beach Monitoring Project (PMP), carried out by Petrobras, to meet environmental conditions, shows that, from January to June this year, 2,567 penguins were found on the monitored beaches. This number is the highest recorded in the last five years. The researchers do not yet know what motivated this increase, but they believe that the number will still grow, since July, August and September are the months with the highest number of occurrences. In the first week of July alone, 353 penguins were registered, 176 in the state of Rio. Currently, there are seven PMPs executed by Petrobras. The program is the largest in the world in monitoring beaches and covers more than three thousand kilometers of the Brazilian coast.

According to the research, the animals are the species of Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus), common in the Malvinas Islands, Argentina and Chile, which, to escape the cold temperatures, migrate to the Brazilian coast during the winter. The São Paulo coast leads the ranking along with Santa Catarina, where 1161 and 1153 were rescued respectively.

Compared to the same period last year, there was an increase of almost 30 times. In the first six months of 2019, 88 animals were rescued. “The Beach Monitoring Project plays a fundamental role, as it contributes to the generation of scientific knowledge about marine biodiversity and collaborates with environmental agencies in conservation and environmental management”, says Mauricio Antonio Costa Diniz, executive manager for Safety, Environment Petrobras Environment and Health.

About Beach Monitoring Projects (PMPs) carried out by Petrobras

The Beach Monitoring Projects (PMPs) teams work daily to rescue debilitated live marine animals. Many are found injured by boats, fishing gear, affected by solid waste or even killed. All animals found are evaluated and, when necessary, are sent to veterinary care.

After the clinical condition stabilizes, the animal is acclimated to return to nature. Before, they receive an appointment, which will allow their follow-up, in case they reappear in another region. Penguins, for example, are given chips. And, in dead animals, necropsy is performed to identify the cause of death and assess whether there has been interaction with human activities.

Structured and executed by Petrobras to meet the condition of federal environmental licensing, it is the largest beach monitoring program in the world. Monitoring is supervised by IBAMA and comprises the rescue, rehabilitation and release of mammals, turtles and sea birds, contributing to the maintenance of marine biodiversity. Currently, PMPs operate in 10 coastal states, covering more than three thousand kilometers of beaches in regions where the company operates. The Santos Basin PMP is the most recent of the company's PMP, it was created in 2015 and is present in four states in the Southeast.

The Beach Monitoring Projects work in partnership with local communities. When sighting whales, wolves or sea lions, dolphins, penguins, birds and sea turtles on the beaches, alive or dead, the population must activate the PMP in their region.