Chagos wins protection

The British Government has declared the Chagos Archipelago a no-take marine reserve, the largest in the world covering more than 544,000 square kilometres. The area, twice the size of the UK includes islands, coral reefs and oceanic deep water has been compared to the Galapagos Archipelago in terms of conservation importance. The status awarded to the islands will prohibit any extractive activities including industrial fishing and deep sea mining.

“We are thrilled by the U.K. government’s decision to declare the Chagos in its entirety as a no-take protected area,” said Alistair Gammell with the Pew Environment Group, a founding member of the Chagos Environment Network (CEN). “The oceans desperately need better protection. In 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity, the U.K. has secured a conservation legacy which is unrivalled in scale and significance, demonstrating to the world that it is a leader in conserving the world’s marine resources for the benefit of future generations.”

The decision follows a four month public consultation on the future management of the Chagos Archipelago. More than 275,000 people from over 200 nations and territories, as well as many leading scientific and conservation organisations, sent messages in support of full protection of the Chagos Islands and their surrounding waters.

“The U.K.’s designation sets a new global benchmark for responsible ocean stewardship,” said Professor Charles Sheppard of Warwick University. “The Chagos Protected Area will provide an important global reference site for a wide range of scientific ecological, oceanographic and climate studies, and will underpin the provision of benefits to humans throughout the Indian Ocean region into the future.”

Scientific research shows that commercial fishing over the past five decades has decimated fish stocks around the globe and the demand for seafood continues. With technological advances allowing fishing fleets to find and capture the dispersed shoals, the pressure on global fish stocks is unrelenting. Research has shown that marine protected areas are an effective tool to protect and restore marine ecosystems and the species they support. Read more……