During the negotiations of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), a group of countries hopes to reach an agreement before the end of the conference, which will take place next Friday, to establish a roadmap for the creation of new marine protection areas in the Antarctic. However, the prospects for reaching the necessary consensus are not very encouraging.
CCAMLR, which is part of the Antarctic Treaty System, is composed of 26 countries and the European Union, including the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, India, Japan, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. During this closed-door meeting in the Chilean capital, representatives of these countries seek to address this important issue.
So far, there are only two marine protection areas in Antarctica: the South Orkney Islands, which cover 94,000 km2 and were created in 2009, and the Ross Sea, which covers 2.06 million km2 and was established in 2016.
The main aspiration of these countries is to reach agreement on a timeline for the implementation of new marine protection areas in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea, and the Antarctic Peninsula.
During the negotiations, the delegates of the 27 members present in Santiago de Chile must seek a balance between the interests of protection and conservation and the interests related to the use and fishing in the Antarctic or Southern Ocean. Russia and China are mainly defending the latter.
In summary, during the CCAMLR negotiations, a group of countries sought to establish a roadmap for the creation of new marine protection areas in the Antarctic. However, they face the challenge of balancing conservation and use interests in the Antarctic Ocean, especially with regard to fisheries.