Humboldt Penguins Reclassified as Endangered in Chile

On 23rd November 2025, Chile’s Environment Ministry reclassified the Humboldt penguin - a species native to rocky, temperate coastlands - as endangered, raising fresh concerns among conservationists.

• Chile’s Pacific coast hosts nearly 80% of the global Humboldt penguin population, which has declined to fewer than 20,000 from around 45,000 in the late 1990s, according to scientists at the Universidad de Concepcion.
• International bodies already list the species as vulnerable and restrict commercial trade, but Chilean biologists warn that ongoing threats could push the penguins from endangered to critically endangered.
• Key pressures include competition for food due to commercial fishing, deaths in fishing nets, ....