US gov't praised for joining conservation efforts in Antarctica's Southern Ocean
Wednesday, May 5th 2021 - 06:47 UTC
The government of the United States has been praised by The Pew Charitable Trusts for its decision to co-lead in matters concerning Southern Ocean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), special climate envoy John Kerry announced during a virtual ministerial meeting hosted by the European Union.
Kerry conveyed to his audience that the United Staes were joining the EU, the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, and Uruguay in pushing for the designation of the East Antarctic and Weddell Sea as MPAs—which would protect more than 3 million square kilometers of the Southern Ocean.
These two MPA designations by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) would also move the world nearly 1% closer to achieving the goal of protecting 30% of the global ocean, called for in 2016 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Research shows that MPAs can help vulnerable marine ecosystems build resilience to climate change by eliminating additional stresses such as fishing and that networks of MPAs also help species adapt to climate change by creating protected pathways for migrations and range shifts.
More:
https://en.mercopress.com/2021/05/05/us-gov-t-praised-for-joining-conservation-efforts-in-antarctica-s-southern-ocean