Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 35
35
Accepted
Urgent establishment of Antarctic Marine Protected Areas is repeatedly blocked by key nations.
Conclusion
The need to establish new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) has become increasingly urgent, as pressures from fishing, tourism, research activity, and climate change intensify. Proposals for MPAs in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea, and the Antarctic Peninsula have repeatedly been blocked by China and Russia, despite strong scientific backing and widespread international support. Breaking this impasse must now be a diplomatic priority. (Conclusion, Paragraph 179) 100
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the recommendation and states it is making the establishment of new Marine Protected Areas a diplomatic priority, actively working with like-minded members and engaging bilaterally with China and Russia to garner support for their adoption.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government accepts these recommendations. 39. The UK is a strong advocate for effective governance of the Southern Ocean and has consistently sought to establish a comprehensive network of Marine Protected Areas in the Southern Ocean under the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). Proposals for three large-scale MPAs in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea and the Antarctic Peninsula have been pending for several years, despite strong scientific backing. The UK is actively working with like-minded Members, including through bilateral engagements, to garner the support of all CCAMLR Members, including China and Russia, to adopt these crucial marine protection measures. 40. The UK is also working to increase the efficiency of CCAMLR and continues to advocate for pragmatic, compromise-based solutions to enable conservation measures to be adopted, including advocating for improvements to CCAMLR’s decision-making process, to ensure the organisation can meet its conservation mandate for the Southern Ocean.