Antarctida
créditos: Pauline Askin / Reuters
Foi hoje, dia 28 Outubro 2016 concluido um acordo histórico sobre a maior reserva marinha do mundo de vida selvagem Antárctida.
O Mar de Ross é um dos últimos ecossistemas marinhos intactos do mundo. É o habitat de pinguins, focas e baleias. Uma zona crucial para os cientistas estudarem os ecossistemas e compreenderem os impactos das mudanças climáticas no oceano.
A maior reserva marinha do mundo para proteger a vida selvagem da Antárctida vai ser finalmente criada, após o acordo alcançado hoje, disseram responsáveis governamentais.
O acordo, concluído durante a reunião anual da Comissão para a Conservação dos Recursos Vivos Marinhos da Antárctida na sua reunião anual em Hobart, Austrália, vai permitir a criação de uma enorme área marinha protegida pelos Estados Unidos e pela Nova Zelândia, no Mar de Ross.
A área protegida vai ter 1,55 milhões de quilómetros quadrados, afirmou o ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros da Nova Zelândia, Murray McCully.
Segundo o director do projecto Aliança do Oceano Antártico, Mike Walker, pela primeira vez os países puseram de lados as suas diferenças para proteger uma grande área do Oceano Antárctico e das águas internacionais.
O Mar de Ross é um dos últimos ecossistemas marinhos intactos do mundo e é lar de pinguins, focas e baleias.
Today, the largest marine protected area in the world was created in the Ross Sea, off the coast of Antarctica. This is a huge victory for the whales, penguins, and toothfish that live there and for the millions of people standing up to protect our oceans.
After years of negotiations, twenty-four countries and the EU have agreed to create the world’s largest marine park in the Antarctic Ocean.
Meeting in Hobart, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources said the 1.55 million square kilometre Ross Sea marine park would be protected from commercial fishing for three to five years.
Scientists say the marine park will also allow a greater understanding of the impact of climate change.
The Ross Sea sanctuary becomes the biggest marine protected area in the world, covering 1,550,000km2 (which is roughly the size of three Texases, two Spains, or one Mongolia), almost three quarters of which will be a fully-protected.
Known as ‘the Last Ocean’, the Ross sea has been identified by scientists as the most pristine shallow ocean left on earth.
The sea comprises only 2% of the Southern Ocean but is thought to be home to more than 10,000 species including seabirds, colossal squid, 38% of the world's Adelie penguins, 30% of the world's Antarctic petrels and about 6% of the world's population of Antarctic minke whales.
"I'm absolutely overjoyed," said Lewis Pugh, the UN Patron for the Oceans, and someone who has campaigned for years in support of this new MPA.
"This is the biggest protected area on the land or the sea, this is the first large scale MPA on the high seas, they are largely unprotected."
The ocean advocate and swimmer drew attention to the Ross Sea with a series of swims in the icy waters - and for two years he has engaged in a series of meetings, dubbed "speedo diplomacy" with Russian officials to convince them of the value of the MPA.
Ross Sea Protected Area
credits: WWF
To finally get agreement to protect the Ross Sea a time clause of 35 years was included, which means that in 35 years CCAMLR members will again need to decide on its future. Marine protection, to be truly effective, needs to be long lasting so we have all those years ahead of us to make sure when the Ross Sea sanctuary is up for renewal, there is no resistance to making it permanent. We’re pretty confident that by 2051 it will be a simple decision!
Geração 'explorer'
28.10.2016
Sources:
DN | Ambiente
Greanpeace | EuroNews | BBC
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