OPPORTUNITY TO BREAK PROTECTION DEADLOCK AT KEY ANTARCTIC OCEAN MEETING

Opportunity to break protection deadlock at key Antarctic ocean meeting. Environmental groups urge governments to agree to significantly increase the protection of Antarctica’s waters as key climate and biodiversity action at a Special Meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)– the international body responsible for safeguarding Antarctica’s ocean that will meet today, the 19th June in Santiago, Chile.

The week-long Special Meeting has been convened with the primary focus of finding progress to designate three large-scale marine protected area (MPA) proposals in the East Antarctic, Weddell Sea and Antarctic Peninsula, that have been under discussion for years.

“We very much welcome the fact that CCAMLR Members have recognised the need to dedicate more time and attention to help secure the consensus needed to get these MPA proposals over the line. We hope governments take advantage of this rare opportunity and come to the meeting ready to roll up their sleeves and negotiate in good faith to deliver on CCAMLR’s core mandate, which is conservation.” said Claire Christian, Executive Director of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition.

CCAMLR is already more than 10 years past its deadline to establish a network of MPAs in the region. To date only two MPAs have been agreed, and for years it has failed to get full consensus of its Members to agree to further protection.

“World leaders have agreed to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030. Protecting Antarctica’s Southern Ocean is critical to reaching that goal. Designating the three proposed MPAs in Antarctica would protect nearly 4 million square kilometres of the place that penguins, whales, and seals call home. The special meeting this week in Santiago, Chile, provides an opportunity to prove they are serious about conservation,” said Andrea Kavanagh, director of Antarctic and Southern Ocean conservation work for The Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project, which is advocating for additional Southern Ocean MPAs.

To raise political and public awareness of the importance of designating these MPAs both internationally and nationally within Chile, ASOC and its partners sent an open letter to leaders  and have worked with the Chilean collective Bla! to create a giant krill ice sculpture that will be displayed in public during the meeting, highlighting the importance of safeguarding this tiny, yet iconic creature.

“Krill are at the centre of the Antarctic web of life and play an important role in the global carbon cycle. But highly concentrated krill fishing in the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Arc region, coupled with climate change,  is not only threatening wildlife, such as whales, penguins and seals but also the effective ecosystem functions provided by krill through their carbon storage services. Next week, a Special Meeting will be held for only the third time in CCAMLR’s 40 year history – we call on leaders to use this meeting wisely and to urgently tip the balance in the region away from exploitation to protection.” said Emily Grilly, Antarctic Conservation Manager for WWF.