Antarctica: plans for world's largest marine protected area have failed

For years, environmentalists and politicians fight for the establishment of a protected area close to the Antarctic - even celebrities like the Spanish actor Javier Bardem have used. But now, the efforts for the protection of the Südpolarmeers have suffered a setback.

At a conference on the Australian island of Tasmania, the project, in the Weddell sea failed more than 1.8 million square kilometre large protected area to set up - five Times as large as Germany. According to participants, the plans of Russia and China were blocked. Of the resistance came from.

In Tasmania's capital, Hobart advises every year, the international Commission for the conservation of Antarctic marine living resources (CCAMLR), whose members come from more than two dozen States treasures. It is responsible for the control of the fisheries, and the designation of protected areas. The proposal for the Weddell sea came from the EU and was also supported by the Bundestag. He is now to be next year again for advice. It would be the largest marine Tombala protected area in the world.

Existing and planned protected area in Antarctica

living In the region, more than 300,000 of the Emperor penguins. There are also blue whales, elephant seals, Antarctic fur seals and rare sea birds at home. So far, the Weddell sea fishing was largely spared, because large parts are permanently covered by ice. Because of climate change is however expected that fishing fleets come hunting for Krill and hake soon there as well. In the areas further to the North are annually fished hundreds of thousands of tonnes of Krill.

The Weddell sea is the largest of the 14 marginal seas of the Southern ocean on the Antarctic continent. The Name derives from the British sailor James Weddell, who entered in 1823 into the hitherto almost untouched area. The Antarctic is international territory. Many countries maintain research stations.

In the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 is intended that the area shall be used only for peaceful purposes. Since last year, there is already a protected area, the Ross sea, which is about four Times as large as Germany.

joe/dpa