The largest marine reserve in Antarctica is about to be established.

(Baonghean.vn) - The world's largest marine protected area, aimed at preserving the wilderness and pristine nature of Antarctica, will officially be established. This decision was made after a final agreement reached on October 28th, thanks to Russia's approval after a long period of opposition.

The agreement was approved by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) at its annual meeting in Hobart, Australia. After years of negotiations, the world will witness a large marine protected area proposed by the United States and New Zealand in the Ross Sea.

Adelie penguins are one of the wild animals that live in the Ross Sea (Source: Reuters)

The reserve will cover more than 600,000 square miles (approximately 1,553,993 km2), of which three-quarters will be a no-fishing zone, said Murray McCully, New Zealand's Foreign Minister.

"This proposal requires several changes to achieve unanimous support from all 25 CCAMLR member countries; at the same time, the final agreement must balance marine conservation, sustainable exploitation, and scientific concerns," he said.

Russia was the last country to oppose the agreement, due to concerns about fishing rights following China's proposal last year.

However, the meeting did not have time to reach a second agreement on another conservation area proposed by Australia and France in East Antarctica.

Both proposals for protected areas have been on the agenda of the CCAMLR since 2012. These are treaties that task all countries with monitoring the conservation and sustainable exploitation of the Antarctic seas.

The consensus requires the agreement of all 24 CCAMLR member states and the European Union. CCAMLR was established by an international treaty in 1982, with the goal of conserving Antarctic marine life. The European Union and the 24 CCAMLR member states based their agreement on consensus, and more than 11 other countries have signed the convention.

"For the first time, countries have set aside their differences to work together to protect a vast area of ​​the Antarctic Ocean and international waters," said Mike Walker, project director of the Antarctic Ocean Protection Alliance.

The Ross Sea is one of the last remaining intact marine ecosystems on Earth, home to penguins, seals, Antarctic toothfish, and whales. This sea covers approximately 10% of the Earth's surface.

Khang Duy

(According to Telegraph)