marine reserves

In Pictures: Antarctica

Posted by Angela Glienicke - 1st December 2017
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A group of Adélie Penguins are seen here on the Antarctic sea ice.
All rights reserved. Credit: Jiri Rezac

Antarctica is the only continent that is relatively untouched by human interference and one of the last pristine wildernesses left on earth.  This hasn’t always been the case though. In 1959 the Antarctic Treaty was signed, banning dumping of radioactive waste and weapons testing, but in the 80s it was… Read More

We protected the land, now we must protect the ocean – Antarctica

Posted by Willie Mackenzie - 1st December 2017
Image for We protected the land, now we must protect the ocean – Antarctica

The Antarctic is at the very end of the earth. It’s so far away from most of us that it often falls off the edge of world maps as an unfinished afterthought. The landmass of Antarctica holds 90% of the freshwater on the planet, is the biggest desert… Read More

Can we create healthy oceans and tackle climate change at the same time?

Posted by Louisa Casson - 21st November 2017
Image for Can we create healthy oceans and tackle climate change at the same time?

“We woke up to the fact that there’s ocean change just like climate change. We need ocean action like there’s climate action.”   These words rang out at international climate talks last week, spoken by Peter Thompson, the UN’s special envoy for the ocean. This is… Read More

Help create the largest protected area on Earth: an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary

Posted by Louisa Casson - 1st November 2017
Image for Help create the largest protected area on Earth: an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary
Adelie Penguins walk on ice near the ocean.

If you tuned in to Blue Planet II on Sunday night, marvelling at the wonders beneath the waves (and, spoiler alert, the fish *flying* above them) then this should be an easy question. More or less ocean protection? Almost half of our planet is a… Read More

We have one year to create the largest ever protected area on Earth

Posted by Claire Leveson - 17th October 2017
Image for We have one year to create the largest ever protected area on Earth
A group of Adeli Penguins are seen here in the Antarctic sea ice of the Southern Ocean.

In the words of David Attenborough, “Our planet is a blue planet”. With over 70% of our world covered by water, our oceans can be seen from across the solar system. It wasn’t long ago that the oceans were still believed… Read More

Why the South Atlantic should be a sanctuary for whales.

Posted by Willie Mackenzie - 20th October 2016
Image for Why the South Atlantic should be a sanctuary for whales.
All rights reserved. Credit: Greenpeace

One of the most significant issues being discussed and voted on at the upcoming International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Slovenia is the call to create a Whale Sanctuary in the South Atlantic. But what is a whale sanctuary? Why does it matter? And what’s so special about the South… Read More