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Nations mull sanctuaries for oceans to check threats
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THE United States was joining more than 20 countries yesterday in announcing the creation of 40 new marine sanctuaries around the globe to protect the world's oceans from the threat of climate change and pollution.
The sanctuaries, to be unveiled at a high-level conference in Washington, will include the first such US monument in the Atlantic Ocean. The protected areas are meant to limit commercial development and human impacts on ocean ecosystems.
Altogether, countries attending the oceans conference will announce the addition of new sanctuaries covering nearly 460,000 square miles of ocean, an area around the size of the nation of South Africa.
President Barack Obama was to address the conference yesterday, where he will unveil the designation of a US marine monument off the coast of New England, covering 4,913 square miles, the White House said.
The move follows the administration’s decision to expand a massive reserve off the coast of Hawaii last month, as Obama looks to cement his environmental legacy before his tenure ends next year.
Opponents of the new Atlantic monument have complained that it threatens the commercial seafood industry in the region. The administration said the reserve was designed to protect only the most vulnerable areas.
“We feel the approach is well justified and will help support a sustainable ecosystem over the long term,” a senior administration official said.
The conference will emphasize the urgent need to combat illegal fishing, pollution and the acidification of the ocean, which is destroying coral reefs and shellfish, said Catherine Novelli, the US under secretary for economic growth, energy, and the environment at the State Department.
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