The Southern Ocean, which surrounds Antarctica, is vital to the health of the global marine environment, producing currents that carry critical nutrients to seas around the world. Now the Southern Ocean and all the benefits it conveys are in jeopardy as climate change, concentrated fishing, and other threats take a toll on the region—one of the fastest-warming places on the planet.
To counter those pressures, the French government is taking action that will help not only the global ocean but also the billions of people who rely on it: by leading the charge for a network of marine protected areas (MPAs).
A network of MPAs would:
- Contribute to global ocean protection targets.
- Make ecosystems more resilient to the effects of a changing climate.
- Preserve connections between ecosystems to allow for species migration, breeding, and foraging.
At the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in October, leaders from 24 countries and the European Union can demonstrate international cooperation and make progress on a Southern Ocean MPA network. Three areas are up for protection: the Antarctic Peninsula, East Antarctica, and the Weddell Sea.
"Today, we face even greater threat of the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity. France can and must continue to build this movement of international solidarity."
Pascal Lamy, Paris Peace Forum, Executive Committee Chair
Tweet now and tell the world: It’s time for CCAMLR to do the right thing. Approve these MPA proposals, protect the Southern Ocean, and build an Antarctic conservation legacy that could last for generations.
