Connecting for Change: Intermediary Actions to Incentivize Marine Conservation Transitions in Chilean Patagonia

Intermediary actions play a crucial role in promoting the transition towards marine sustainability. Recent research on marine conservation suggests that innovation emerges from collective actions led by institutional entrepreneurs embedded in action networks. This article illustrates how collective efforts were mobilized to promote inclusive marine conservation in northern Patagonia, Chile, departing from past exclusionary practices. Using mixed methods -including semi-structured interviews, social network analyses, and ethnography- the study underscores how institutional entrepreneurs connect diverse actors and convey a unified framework to guide collective action. This research contributes to current discussions on marine transformations by pinpointing key intermediary actions that can accelerate global progress towards marine sustainability.