New Zealand is strongly committed to creating a Marine Protected Area in the Ross Sea region.
New Zealand and the United States came together to present a joint proposal for the Ross Sea region during this year’s annual Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meeting in late October in Hobart.
CCAMLR is part of the Antarctic Treaty System and manages the marine living resources in the waters of Antarctica.
Consensus agreement on the New Zealand-United States proposal (PDF 440KB) was not reached by all 25 CCAMLR members at the 2012 meeting. But CCAMLR has agreed to hold a special meeting in July 2013 to further consider the issue.
If successful, the joint proposal would be the largest MPA anywhere in the world.
It would protect a range of habitats, species and features in the area.
Read the New Zealand Government media release (Beehive website)
Map of the New Zealand-United States proposal
