Posted on 12 July 2013
Bremerhaven, Germany: The Antarctic Ocean
Alliance (AOA) and its partners say the
Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic
Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has a landmark
opportunity to protect the Antarctic`s Southern
Ocean this week.
CCAMLR members will
decide the fate of two key proposals for
Antarctic marine protection, either of which
would create the world’s largest marine
protected rea (MPA) if designated.
“Marine protected areas
promote scientific research in Antarctica
and ensure the regions ocean resources are
well managed for future generations,” said
Bob Zuur, WWF’s Antarctic and Southern Ocean
Initiative.
“Antarctica’s ocean
is the least protected on Earth. We ask
CCAMLR to act on the best available scientific
evidence and create these critical protected
areas.”
The special CCAMLR meeting
has been called because the Commission couldn’t
come to a consensus on the two proposals
at its meeting in October 2012.
The United States and
New Zealand propose that CCAMLR designate
a Ross Sea MPA of 2.3 million Km2. The Ross
Sea is often referred to as the last ocean
because it is one of the only large ocean
habitats that is still relatively intact
and home to a dazzling array of marine wildlife.
A second proposal from
Australia, France and the European Union
would designate seven marine protected areas
in East Antarctica covering about 1.63 million
Km2.
The Southern Ocean is
home to more than 10,000 unique species
including most of the world’s penguins,
whales, seabirds, colossal squid and the
commercially targeted Antarctic toothfish.
The region is critical for scientific research,
both for studying how intact marine ecosystems
function and for determining the impacts
of global climate change.
The AOA partners are
attending the CCAMLR meeting in Bremerhaven
working to ensure CCAMLR delegates step
up to the challenge and designate the Ross
Sea and East Antarctic proposals.
“The world is watching
the outcome of this CCAMLR meeting,” said
Steve Campbell, Campaign Director of the
Antarctic Ocean Alliance, a group of more
than 30 environmental organizations. “The
Southern Ocean is a global commons like
no other and protecting these vital marine
habitats would benefit all of us, now and
in the future.”
