Australia to protect 52% of its marine territory
Australia now protects more ocean than any other country on earth, with the Albanese Labor Government signing off a massive 310,000 km2 expansion of the sub-Antarctic Heard and McDonald Islands Marine Park.
The decision means that for the first time ever more than half (52 per cent) of Australia’s oceans are now under protection, blitzing a 30 per cent target the Government signed up to as part of a UN nature treaty in 2022.This decision cements Australia’s role as a global leader in marine conservation. It is the biggest contribution to ocean conservation anywhere on the planet this year.
The Heard and McDonald Islands marine reserve will quadruple in size, an increase of almost 310,000 km2 – an area larger than Italy – and will provide greater protections for an environment unlike anywhere else in the world.
Heard and McDonald Islands are home to glaciers, wetlands, Australia’s only active volcanoes, and diverse and significant populations of penguins, seals and albatrosses.
This decision comes after extensive consultation with researchers, conservationists and the fishing industry. The design supports the sustainable, well-established fishery in the region.
More on : https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/plibersek/media-releases/australia-now-protects-more-ocean-any-other-country-earth
