Chile Adds Massive Ocean Sanctuaries To Growing Global List

The United Nations’ goal of protecting 10 percent of the world's oceans by 2020 is getting some serious commitments.  Last week, New Zealand was praised for plans to establish the world’s third-largest fully protected marine sanctuary. Before the applause even died down, Chile swooped in and one-upped the island country. On Monday, during the 2015 Our Ocean conference in Valparaiso, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced the creation of the Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park -- giving Chile claim to the largest marine reserve in the Americas -- as well as the Easter Island Marine Park, which will be the third-largest fully protected marine area in the world. The new Easter Island park bumps New Zealand's newly announced Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary to the No. 4 spot. Combined, Chile's two areas would protect more than 350,000 square miles -- larger than the country's total landmass. Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park, which encompasses 114,872-square-miles of ocean surrounding the islands of San Félix and San Ambrosio, is a fully protected no-take zone, where fishing and other extractive activities are now prohibited.  Enric Sala, an explorer-in-residence at National Geographic and head of the Pristine Seas project, called the park "a gift from Chile to the world." “It contains pristine underwater environments like nothing else in the ocean, including deep underwater...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news