Pic: John Weller
HOBART, Australia, Oct. 19, 2015—The Antarctic Ocean Alliance (AOA) called on the 25
member countries gathering today for the annual meeting of the Commission for the
Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to finally agree on lasting and
significant Southern Ocean protection.
CCAMLR previously pledged to establish two marine protected areas by 2012, but, because of
a lack of consensus, member states have failed to reach agreement on two major proposals on
four separate occasions. The Southern Ocean is home to more than 10,000 unique species,
including most of the world’s penguins, whales, seabirds, and colossal squid, as well as the
commercially targeted Antarctic toothfish, known in many retail outlets as Chilean sea bass.
Since they were introduced, both proposals have undergone a number of iterations, and several
significant compromises have been negotiated among CCAMLR members, including reduction
in the size of the protected areas. (Please see attached map infographic.) The international
nongovernmental organisations that make up AOA are calling for the immediate designation of
both proposals rather than risk any further erosion.
A joint proposal of the United States and New Zealand to designate a Ross Sea marine
protected area (MPA) of 1.25 million square kilometres—with 1.14 million square kilometres
proposed as “no take”—has been under consideration since 2011. The Ross Sea, one of the
most pristine oceans remaining on Earth, is often referred to as “the Last Ocean.”
Likewise, Australia, France and the EU are once again proposing the creation of an MPA to
protect 946,998 square kilometres of East Antarctic waters that has been under consideration
since 2010. This proposal would allow exploratory and research activities within the MPA if they
are consistent with its objectives. The region’s unique oceanographic and seafloor features
coupled with its biological value to seabirds, seals, and other animals, make the East Antarctic
coastal region a prime area for protection.
“CCAMLR members have a clear task to complete: to work together to create the marine
protected areas that Antarctica’s waters and wildlife need,” said Mark Epstein, executive director
of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition. “CCAMLR promised that this protection would
come by 2012, yet the process has been stalled for the last four meetings. Global leaders—
many of whom are CCAMLR members—have a responsibility to take action now, ensuring
these marine protected areas come into force at this meeting.”
“As Russia steps into the chairmanship role of CCAMLR this year, it has the opportunity to
make history in the Antarctic region yet again,” said Andrea Kavanagh, director of The Pew
Charitable Trusts’ global penguin conservation program. “Two hundred years after discovering
the continent, Russia can lead member countries to a consensus decision on establishing large
and permanent marine protections in the Ross Sea and the waters off East Antarctica.”
The two-week CCAMLR meeting precedes December’s 21st Session of the Conference of the
Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21). COP21 will
be a crucial conference, as it needs to achieve a new international agreement on the climate,
applicable to all countries, with the aim of keeping global warming to less than 2 degrees
Celsius. AOA believes the role of the oceans in attaining this goal cannot be ignored.
“Antarctica is one of the world’s last untouched wildernesses and is critical for scientific
research, both for studying how intact marine ecosystems function and for monitoring the
impacts of climate change. Fully protected marine reserves are the single most powerful tool
that CCAMLR has for fulfilling its mandate and protecting the astounding array of Antarctica’s
marine life and enabling the Southern Ocean ecosystem to best withstand the impacts of
climate change and ocean acidification,” added Maritza Schaefer, Greenpeace International’s
global campaign leader for oceans.
The Antarctic Ocean Alliance partners are attending the CCAMLR meeting in Hobart, where
they will work to ensure that delegates step up to the challenge and designate the Ross Sea
and East Antarctica proposals.
Notes:
Fully protected marine reserves are areas that are off-limits to all extractive uses,
including fishing. They provide the highest level of protection to all elements of the
ocean ecosystem.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are areas where certain activities are limited or
prohibited to meet specific conservation, habitat protection, or fisheries management
objectives.
Consensus-based decision-making does not mean that everyone must agree, but
that no one can voice disagreement, which means that one member state can
effectively stop a measure from going forward.
The Antarctic Ocean Alliance is a project of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean
Coalition and is a coalition of more than 30 leading environmental organisations and
high-profile individuals working together to achieve large-scale protection for key
Antarctic Ocean ecosystems. Alliance members include The Pew Charitable Trusts,
Greenpeace, the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, Humane Society
International, Mission Blue (U.S.), Oceans 5 (U.S.), Deep Wave (Germany), the Last
Ocean, Forest & Bird (NZ), ECO (NZ), the Korean Federation for Environmental
Movement, and Greenovation Hub (China). Associate partners include the Natural
Resources Defense Council, Oceana, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the
International Polar Foundation (U.K.), Plant a Fish, and the International Programme on
the State of the Oceans and OceanCare (Switzerland). AOA ambassadors include
actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Edward Norton, oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle,
entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, Chinese entrepreneur and explorer Wang Jing, and
Korean actor Yoo Ji-Tae.
Since its establishment in 1978, the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition has
worked full time to preserve the Antarctic continent and the surrounding Southern
Ocean. A coalition of over 30 NGOs interested in Antarctic environmental protection,
ASOC represents the environmental community at Antarctic governance meetings and
works to promote important Antarctic conservation goals. www.asoc.org
Greenpeace is the leading independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful
direct action and creative communication to expose global environmental issues.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/
The Pew Charitable Trusts work globally to establish pragmatic, science-based
policies that protect our oceans, conserve our wild lands, and promote the clean energy
economy.
www.pewtrusts.org
www.antarcticocean.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Antarctic-Ocean-Alliance
Twitter: @Antarcticocean
Dae Levine, AOA
