Germany’s Proposal for a Marine Protected Area in Antarctica
The Federal Government strongly advocates the expansion of marine protected areas in Antarctica and submitted a request for a marine protected area (MPA) in the Weddell Sea to the international Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) as early as 2016. Unfortunately, however, it has since then not been possible to have this proposal adopted within the framework of CCAMLR, as the necessary consensus within CCAMLR, which counts a total of 27 members, has to date not been achieved.
Although the majority of CCAMLR member states support this and other proposal to establish marine protected areas, their adoption, which requires unanimity, has for years been blocked by a small number of members (Russia, China) that are concerned about the size and layout of the marine protected areas and their potential effects on fishing interests and the commercial exploitation of krill and fish stocks. Any attempts to dispel these reservations and achieve a viable compromise acceptable for all in the course of negotiations have so far been unsuccessful.
Researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) provided the scientific foundation for the proposal.
The Weddell Sea is one of a total of nine planning regions in the CCAMLR convention area, which covers the entire Antarctic Ocean. The German proposal refers to an area of around 2 million square kilometres, i.e. 5.5 times the size of Germany. It would be by far the world’s largest marine protected area as it stands today.
One of the last practically pristine regions in Antarctica
Germany has for a long time strongly supported international efforts to protect the marine areas in Antarctica. Establishing these protected areas would be a great leap towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of preserving marine life and placing 30 percent of the ocean under protection, as adopted by the United Nations and the international community.
Experts at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) have collected and evaluated hundreds of thousands of data from the Weddell Sea. They have thus created a considerable scientific basis for the targeted and effective protection of the vulnerable marine animal communities and ecosystems that have adapted to the Antarctic living conditions over millions of years.
Analyses by AWI shave shown that the impact of climate change on these marine regions has so far been minor. While sea ice has been declining drastically in many parts of the Antarctic continent over the last few year, the Weddell Sea has still been relatively extensively covered by sea ice. This means that the Weddell Sea fulfils a vital function as a retreat area for cold-loving species. One third of all emperor penguins are born on the sea ice there. Six seal species and twelve whale species, including humpback whales, blue whales and Antarctic minke whales, have been documented. Moreover, the region is a valuable reference area for basic scientific research. We therefore have a strong interest in ensuring that future research in this unique and largely pristine area does not come under threat from destructive human activities.
Proposals for Marine Protected Area in Antarctica
As early as 2009, the first marine protection area at high sea was established under CCAMLR south of the South Orkney Islands. New Zealand and the USA drafted a proposal for a marine protected area in the Ross Seam, which was adopted in 2016. In addition, a proposal to establish a marine protected area in East Antarctica, prepared by France, the EU and Australia, was brought forward in 2012 and has been revised several times since then. In 2016, Germany followed with the Weddell Sea proposal, which was in 2018 split up into a Western area (phase 1) under German/EU leadership and an Eastern area (phase 2) under Norwegian leadership. Argentina and Chile tabled an additional proposal for a marine protected area around the Antarctic peninsula at the CCAMLR annual meeting in 2018. All these initiatives include measures for the preservation of particularly sensitive areas in the Antarctic Ocean and the sustainable stewardship of the marine wildlife in these places.
