The Peruvian government is planning to expand the country’s prison system to address overcrowding and organized crime. But one of the facilities it wants to build poses serious risks to marine habitats in the Pacific Ocean, critics say. The construction of a high-security prison on El Frontón Island, off the coast of Lima, would interfere with threatened marine species that travel between numerous islands in the area, experts warn. They say the project should undergo an environmental impact assessment before moving forward. “These ecosystems are refuges for life in the middle of the sea, functioning as resting and breeding areas for wildlife such as birds and marine mammals, species that know no spatial boundaries and move between the islands and islets,” Cristel Cordero, marine conservation specialist for the Peruvian Society of Environmental Law, said in a local op-ed about the facility. El Frontón Island spans just 100 hectares (about 250 acres) and can be reached by boat from Lima in around 30 minutes. It’s part of the greater Humboldt Current ecosystem that stretches from Chile to Ecuador, where air currents push away warm water, allowing cold, nutrient-rich water to rise to the surface. It’s one of the most productive fishing areas in the world. Anchovies, tuna and sardines are common throughout the Humboldt Current, as well as Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldt), sea lions (Otaria flavescens) and more than 70 species of sharks, according to The Nature Conservancy. Conservationists say bird species have suffered a noticeable decline in the area, including…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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