Just Released! Order “Waking Up to Climate Change” by George Ropes, and receive 25% Discount. Learn More

HOME          CATEGORIES          OUR TAKE

Australia plans huge marine reserve in Coral Sea

 

The Coral Sea is home to diverse wildlife, including sharks and tuna. Source: AP

The Australian government has proposed to create the world’s largest marine reserve in the Coral Sea.  This proposal would set aside 989,842 square kilometers (382,180 square miles) in order to protect the large degree of biodiversity in this region.  The Coral Sea reserve would protect the area east of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park through imposing new fishing limitations as well as banning the exploration for oil and gas. This protected zone would practically double the size of the current largest marine reserve in the world around the Indian Ocean’s Chagos Islands and would encompass two existing marine reserves, the Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve and the Lihou Reed National Nature Reserve.  The proposal must undergo a 90 day consultation period before the Australian government will be able to establish this marine reserve.  There have been concerns on both sides about this reserve, from the commercial fisherman who have voiced that they would require larger areas designated for fishing to activists who have pointed out that key reefs and spawning grounds will not be included in the reserve region.  The consultation period is set to conclude on February 24, 2012.

Nick Hudson

Comment on this article

ClimateYou moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (New York time) and can only accept comments written in English.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

SHARE THIS ARTICLE


More Posts Like This

CITY TECH BLOG

The Impact of the Paris Climate Change Agreement in the United States

The United States, under the Obama administration, joined the Paris Agreement in 2015 and committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025. However, in June 2017, the Trump administration announced its intention to withdraw from the agreement (Shear). In April 2021, President Joe

CITY TECH BLOG

My Home’s Involvement in Climate Change

  I was born in the Dominican Republic on September 19,2001. When I was three my father brought me and my mother to the United States to live a better lifestyle, as every immigrant dreams of.  We still visit family back in the Dominican Republic and it’s always

OUR TAKE

COP27 — The Good, Bad, Hopes & Fears

The dust has settled at COP27, the 27th United Nations Climate Conference at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt where a record 45,000 people registered to attend. The longest running summit of all the conferences, agreements made in the final moments has left us all with hope but also doubts.