Antarctica protection deal ends stalemate
Print Edition
THE countries that decide the fate of Antarctica’s waters reached an agreement yesterday to create the world’s largest marine protected area in the ocean next to the frozen continent.
The agreement comes after years of diplomatic wrangling and high-level talks between the United States and Russia, which has rejected the idea in the past.
Proponents of the reserve say it sets a precedent for multiple countries working together to protect a large swath of ocean, which falls outside any single nation’s jurisdiction.
The agreement covers an area about twice the size of Texas in the Ross Sea. The deal was clinched after 24 countries and the European Union met in Hobart, Australia, this week.
Decisions on Antarctic fishing require a consensus among the 25 members, a hurdle which has confounded past efforts.
The US and New Zealand have been pushing for a marine reserve for years. They first submitted a joint proposal in 2012, but it was rejected five times before yesterday’s agreement.
Ukraine, China and Russia had expressed concerns in the past, with Russia becoming the final holdout before the deal was made.
The marine protected area covers 1.6 million square kilometers. There will be a blanket ban on commercial fishing across about three quarters of that area.
A small amount of fishing for research purposes will be allowed throughout the protected area.
Evan Bloom, who led the US delegation in Hobart, said he was “thrilled” with the result. “We’ve been working on this for so many years and had so many disappointments trying to get here,” he said. “This is a real win for marine conservation.”
US Secretary of State John Kerry said the agreement “will safeguard one of the last unspoiled ocean wilderness areas on the planet.”
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully said the final agreement included some concessions to Russia, including adjusting the reserve’s boundaries and allowing a little more commercial fishing outside the no-take zone.
The agreement will take effect from December 2017 and, for most of the reserve, will last an initial 35 years.
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