Context

Members of a multinational group on Antarctic conservation failed to agree on a roadmap for the creation of 3 new marine protected areas.

• Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) – It is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity.
• Many MPAs allow people to use the area in ways that do not damage the environment.
• Some ban fishing and a few do not allow people to enter the area at all.

MPAs in Southern Ocean

• The Southern Ocean has 2 existing MPAs
  • Southern shelf of the South Orkney Islands –
  • Ross Sea
• All types of fishing, other than scientific research, are prohibited within the southern shelf of the South Orkney Islands MPA.
• New 3 MPAs – Since 2012, the European Union and Australia have proposed an MPA in East Antarctica.
• The EU and Norway proposed an MPA in the Weddell Sea, while Chile and Argentina proposed an MPA in the waters surrounding the Antarctic Peninsula.
• In 2021, India extended its support for designating East Antarctica and the Weddell Sea as MPA.
• 30X 30 goal – A global target to protect 30% of the planet for nature by 2030 (known as ’30×30′).

Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)

• It was established by an international convention in 1982.
• Aim – To conserve Antarctic marine life.
• This was in response to increasing commercial interest in Antarctic krill resources, a keystone component of the Antarctic ecosystem and a history of over-exploitation of several other marine resources in the Southern Ocean.
• Members – 27 Members, and a further 10 countries have acceded to the Convention.
• India is a Member of CCAMLR.

Read also:- Oceans Resources