Proposal to Protect Antarctic Waters Is Scaled Back

          Last year, the US and New Zealand proposed a plan to create an 875,000 sq mi ocean reserve in the Antarctic waters, but was denied by the Russians and other counties with fishing industries. Countries such as Russia, Ukraine, and Japan, rely on fishing, and do not wish to restrict their fishing boundaries as it directly impacts and lowers their economies. In an effort to compromise, New Zealand last week proposed to reduce the size of the reserve by up to 40% to gain support from fishing nations. However, environmentalists believe that reducing the reserve by up to 40%, the Southern Ocean would not have the adequate protection it needs. This region in the Southern Ocean is known to have a large biodiversity, which encompasses several thousands of species, including whales, seals, penguins, small fish, and other aquatic animals.

          The UN conference in 2010 pledged to protect 10 percent of the world’s oceans by 2020; however, less than 1 percent is protected today. Protecting the world’s oceans is a controversial issue, but hopefully the world can compromise to protect the environment for the future of earth.

Source:                                                         http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/world/proposal-to-protect-antarctic-waters-is-scaled-back.html?ref=science&_r=0#h[]