Officials in New Zealand have said the countries that decide the fate of Antarctica have agreed to create a huge marine sanctuary. An area twice the size of Texas will become the world’s largest marine-protected area.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said on Friday that the 24 countries and the European Union, which have been meeting in Australia this week, have agreed to a proposal from the US and New Zealand to protect the area covering 1.6 million square kilometers (0.62 million square miles) in the Ross Sea. Three-quarters of the reserve is to be a no-fishing zone. The US and New Zealand have been pushing for the reserve for years but had been prevented from reaching a consensus … continue reading
