Written by: Steve Campbell, Campaign Director, Antarctic Ocean Alliance. ASOC is a member of AOA.
This week, the Antarctic Ocean Alliance is
stepping up its campaign to protect the Southern Ocean. At an event in London
on Monday the AOA will unveil
a new vision for the creation of the world’s largest network of Marine
Protected Areas (MPAs) and no-take marine reserves in 19 key Antarctic marine
habitats. The AOA is launching a new report 'Antarctic Ocean Legacy: A Vision for Circumpolar Protection' calling
on all of the countries involved in deciding the fate of this magnificent
environment to support far-reaching Antarctic marine protection.
The launch in London on Monday will mark our first
event in the UK along with the launch of our European campaign and included
speakers such as the Rt. Hon. John
Gummer, Lord Deben former Secretary of State for Environment and two leading
Antarctic scientists who will join me in discussing why the moment for
Antarctic marine protection is now.
Antarctic marine ecosystems are under
increasing pressure. Growing demand for seafood means great interest in the
Antarctic Ocean from commercial fishing interests. And climate change is
already affecting the abundance of important food sources for penguins, whales,
seals and birds. This beautiful,
icy ocean environment is home to nearly 10,000 highly adapted species, many of
which can be found nowhere else on the planet. Adélie and emperor penguins,
Antarctic petrels and minke whales, Ross Sea killer whales, colossal squid and
Weddell seals all depend on this harsh environment.
To protect these marine ecosystems the
AOA’s vital research has identified over 40% of the Southern Ocean that
warrants protection in a network of large-scale, no-take marine reserves and
MPAs based on combining existing marine protected areas in the region, areas
identified within previous conservation and planning analyses and including
additional critical habitats described in the report.
Today we find ourselves at a cross roads
for marine protection. With around 85% of the world’s fisheries currently
overfished or under threat Antarctica’s still relatively intact ecosystem stands
in stark contrast. We now have an opportunity to protect one of the most
pristine marine environments left on Earth, an opportunity to create a legacy,
like the Antarctic Treaty that protects the region’s landmass, that will be benefit
generations to come. But we need your help!
The body that regulates Antarctica’s ocean
environment, the
Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR),
has agreed to create a network of marine protected areas in some of the ocean
around Antarctica this year and next. CCAMLR is a consensus body that meets
with limited public participation and no media access. We believe that, without public attention
during this process, only minimal protection will be achieved. Our “Join the
Watch” of CCAMLR campaign now has more than 38,000 participants from around the
world and collectively we are calling on CCAMALR Member states to support our
far-reaching protection plan while we can.
If you think the Antarctica’s Southern
Ocean should be protected, please Join the Watch, spread the word and
tell our world leaders you are watching to ensure that this amazing region is
protected.
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