Brussels, 17/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 17 July, Maria Damanaki, the European commissioner for fisheries, expressed her disappointment that the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) had failed to reach an agreement on the establishment of two marine protected areas. The CCAMLR was set up in 1982 by an international convention to protect marine life in Antarctica.
At the special meeting of the CCAMLR, which was held in Bremerhaven (Germany) on 15 and 16 July, two proposed marine protected areas (MPAs) were submitted by various members of the CCAMLR: - New Zealand and the United States proposed an MPA in the Ross Sea region; - Australia, France and the European Union called for a representative system of MPAs to be established in East Antarctica.
“It is a shame that the large support for the protection of these areas was blocked by a few. This is a step backwards and puts at stake the reputation of an organisation that has always been one of the front-runners in the sustainable management of marine living resources. I do hope that this missed opportunity will be repaired soon”, said the commissioner.
Creating an MPA is a complex process entailing considerable research work as well as international diplomatic procedures. It was decided that the proposals should be looked into further. To this end, discussions between members of the commission will continue until the annual meeting of the CCAMLR in October 2013, when the proposals may be debated once again, according to a CCAMLR press release. (LC/transl.fl)