Download Antarctic Ocean to Set Up World`s Largest Protected Marine Zone

11/6/2016
Latin American Herald Tribune - Antarctic Ocean to Set Up World’s Largest Protected Marine Zone
Antarctic Ocean to Set Up World’s Largest Protected Marine Zone
SYDNEY – The Antarctic Ocean, also known as the Southern ocean, is all set to establish the world’s largest marine reserve, over an
area of 1.55 million square kilometers (0.59 million square miles), in the Ross Sea, according to the Commission for the Conservation of
Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
CCAMLR, made up of 24 countries and the European Union, approved the historic decision during its annual meeting held between Oct.
17 and 18 in the Australian city of Hobart.
“Today, CCAMLR made history by declaring the planet’s largest marine protected area in the Ross Sea” to protect penguins, seals,
whales and innumerable other creatures, said The Pew Charitable Trust’s director Andrea Kavannagh in a statement by the Antarctic
and Southern Ocean Coalition.
The initiative, which covers an area equivalent to France, Spain and Germany combined, was driven by the United States and New
Zealand governments.
The reserve in the Ross Sea that will cover more than 10% of the Southern Ocean, protects one of the world’s most important marine
zones and is home to a third of the global population of Adelie penguins, a quarter of the Emperor penguins, Antarctic Petrels, Weddell
seals and Patagonian toothfish, among other species.
According to the measure that will come into effect next year, all fishing activities will be prohibited in more than 70% of the protected
marine area in Ross Sea, while in the remaining area capture of Patagonian toothfish and krill crustaceans for research purposes will be
allowed.
One of the controversial points of the decision was that the declaration of protected marine area is not in perpetuity, which worries
environmental groups such as the World Wide Fund for Nature WWF­Australia.
Rodrigo Werner from Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition explained that a middle ground is being sought in the negotiations in which
a term of 50 years has been proposed.
In addition to the creation of the large reserve in the Ross Sea, CCAMLR also approved that boats fishing krill in Antarctic waters will
have observers on board in the next four years.
CCAMLR also agreed to develop a work plan for addressing climate change, a step considered inadequate by environmentalists.
Climate change has a profound impact in Antarctica because it puts habitats and biodiversity in a growing risk through the loss of smell,
warming of oceans and acidification, explained WWF­Australia’s Chris Johnson.
The CCAMLR is also composed of Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cook Islands, Finland, France, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Korea
of the South, Mauritius, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United
Kingdom, Uruguay and Vanuatu.
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