Wildlife

Russia Blocks Bid to Protect Antarctic Waters

Russia shot down a bid to create vast marine sanctuaries in Antarctica's waters, rousing dismay among environmental groups.

Delegations from 24 countries and the European Union met in Germany this week to decide whether to adopt two proposals to designate Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) around the frozen continent. But Russia, with some support from Ukraine, questioned the legal authority of the group to establish such reserves.

The MPAs would restrict fishing in certain areas and are designed to preserve habitats for iconic species, like whales and emperor penguins, and maintain sustainable stocks of commercially valuable fish in Antarctica's fragile waters. One proposed MPA, submitted by the United States and New Zealand, would cover 2.3 million square kilometres of the Ross Sea; the other, put forth by Australia, France and the European Union, would create a group of seven protected areas in East Antarctica.

Both proposals had been submitted last October at the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). When member nations failed to reach a consensus then, they called for this week's special meeting in Germany. The delegates will take up the issue again at the next annual meeting, in Hobart, Tasmania.