<
https://theconversation.com/humans-threaten-the-antarctic-peninsulas-fragile-ecosystem-a-marine-protected-area-is-long-overdue-147671>
"Antarctica, the world’s last true wilderness, has been protected by an
international treaty for the last 60 years. But the same isn’t true for
most of the ocean surrounding it.
Just 5% of the Southern Ocean is protected, leaving biodiversity
hotspots exposed to threats from human activity.
The Western Antarctic Peninsula, the northernmost part of the continent
and one of its most biodiverse regions, is particularly vulnerable. It
faces the cumulative threats of commercial krill fishing, tourism,
research infrastructure expansion and climate change.
In an article published in Nature today, we join more than 280 women in
STEMM (science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine) from the
global leadership initiative Homeward Bound to call for the immediate
protection of the peninsula’s marine environment, through the
designation of a marine protected area.
Our call comes ahead of a meeting, due in the next fortnight, of the
international group responsible for establishing marine protected areas
in the Southern Ocean. We urge the group to protect the region, because
delays could be disastrous."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
