\u201cThe Antarctic is the last frontier where exploitation of natural resources on an industrial scale hasn\u2019t arrived yet,\u201d said Milko Schvartzman, Argentine marine conservation specialist. Argentina is one of seven nations to maintain a territorial claim on the Antarctic Peninsula. It also has the most bases and personnel stationed there.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of the few places in the world that hasn\u2019t been affected by human activity and because of that it is essential for scientific research,\u201d added Schvartzman.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, progress has been slow so far. In 2009, CCAMLR member states agreed on the first marine protected area<\/a>, covering 94,000 square kilometres south of the South Orkney Islands. Then, in 2016, the Commission made headlines when it successfully negotiated the world\u2019s largest marine park<\/a>, covering 1.55 million square kilometres in the Ross Sea.<\/p>\n These achievements raised hopes for similar breakthroughs during the following annual meetings, which seek to expand the current MPAs and create new ones. But discussions have dragged on. Countries have opposed the extension of MPAs, asserting their right to access waters rich in krill and other resources such as minerals and oil.<\/p>\n If created, it would be the largest natural reserve anywhere in the world<\/p><\/blockquote>\n There are three distinct proposals on the table at this year\u2019s talks.<\/p>\n The oldest one is to protect three large blocks of ocean and seafloor along the East Antarctic<\/a>\u00a0in an area rich in cold-water corals and penguin foraging grounds. It has been discussed for six years in a row at the CCAMLR talks, but without significant progress.<\/p>\n Over the years, the proposal has been scaled back. Initially, it proposed seven areas covering 1.9 million square kilometres of ocean but this has been reduced to three areas covering one million square kilometres. It will protect unique ecosystems and features, including sites where Antarctic bottom water<\/a> is formed (this is the coldest water in the ocean which has considerable influence over the movement of currents).<\/p>\n The second proposal (now under discussion by the scientific committee \u2013 the stage before it reaches the commission), is to create an MPA of 1.8 million square kilometres in the area of the Weddell Sea and adjacent to the Antarctic Peninsula<\/a>. If created, it would be the largest natural reserve anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n The Weddell MPA was first put forward by the EU and has gained the support of several countries. Greenpeace launched a campaign to pressure governments to approve it that was backed by two million people. It\u2019s hoped the proposal will reach the commission this year, where its approval will be discussed.<\/p>\n \u201cThis would create a safe haven for penguins, whales and krill, safeguarding their environment,\u201d said Louisa Casson, senior oceans campaigner at Greenpeace. \u201cThe Weddell Sea is one of the most pristine places on the planet. We have a chance to protect it before any damage is done.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, Argentina and Chile have worked jointly on a proposal to create an MPA<\/a> to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula. It\u2019s at an early stage and will be submitted to the scientific committee at this year\u2019s meeting. The area is particularly vulnerable to tourism impacts, fishing activity and global warming.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the area of the Antarctic and the world most affected by global warming. There has been a massive decrease in the amount of ice. It\u2019s the centre of krill fishing in the Antarctic,\u201d said Rodolfo Werner, senior adviser at the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition<\/a> (ASOC), who has been attending CCAMLR meetings for over ten years.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n Experts agree that a failure to extend MPAs in the Antarctic could have severe consequences for its ecosystems.<\/p>\n Geologists estimate that Antarctica holds at least 36 billion barrels <\/a>of oil and natural gas, although assessments vary widely. A combination of climate change and industrial-scale fishing is already threatening the krill population in Antarctic waters. The penguin population could drop by almost a third<\/a> by the end of the century due to changes in krill, whose size could diminish by 40%.<\/p>\n Krill populations have already declined by 80% since the 1970s, following the expansion of the krill fishing industry, which is predicted to grow 12% a year over the next three years.<\/a><\/p>\n At the same time, Antarctic tourism has also been growing. In the\u00a02017-2018 period\u00a041,966 people visited, 16% more than in the 2011\/2012 period<\/a>, according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).<\/p>\n Experts that China Dialogue <\/i>spoke to had mixed feelings about the talks. Some were hopeful of new protections being passed, while others were more negative.<\/p>\n For Mike Walker, Europe coordinator at ASOC, who worked on the Ross Sea campaign, this year\u2019s meeting \u201cis in a better position\u201d than the one last year thanks to diplomatic efforts in the run up.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, for Mariano Aguas, head of the Antarctic programme at the Argentine NGO Vida Silvestre, there \u201cwon\u2019t be much progress\u201d due to differing trenchant positions held by countries.<\/p>\n \u201cCCAMLR risks its reputation if they fail to move forward on anything this year,\u201d said Andrea Kavanagh, director of Pew\u2019s Antarctic and Southern Ocean work. \u201cThey promised to have a network of MPAs to preserve biodiversity in the area. If they can\u2019t do that it puts into question what their priorities are.\u201d<\/p>\n Under CCAMLR rules, all 25 commission members \u2013 24 countries and the European Union \u2013 must agree for a proposal to be adopted. The need for a universal consensus has made progress especially challenging, given the differing interests of the negotiating countries.<\/p>\n It boils down to a debate between mainly Western countries that want to establish \u201cno-take\u201d MPAs (where fishing, mining, drilling and other extractive industries are banned), and countries like China and Russia that want to maintain rights to fishing and other forms of extraction, according to Dr Liu Nengye, senior lecturer at the University of Adelaide.<\/p>\n \u201cThe debate is between fishing and conservation states. There has been a shift among developed countries that are pushing for no activity in the MPAs. This has not happened yet in China, which has become the world\u2019s largest marine fisheries producer over the last decade,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cChina is moving towards sustainable fishing, which means they want to continue fishing in the future,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n China started fishing for Antarctic krill in 2009 and has rapidly expanded its activities<\/a>. Alongside Norway and South Korea, it is among the biggest Antarctic krill fishing nations, with Norway leading in terms of catch and processing capacity, and China in the number of vessels.<\/p>\n In 2017, China\u2019s 13th Five-Year Plan for fishing industry technology<\/a> called for the country to increase its krill fishing and processing capacity. But a white paper on China\u2019s activity in the Antarctic<\/a>, published the same year by the State Oceanic Administration, included environmental protection as a key principle.<\/p>\n \u201cChina does not object to MPAs, but they want to have more time to think about it,\u201d said Jiliang Chen, researcher at Greenovation Hub and specialist on China\u2019s Antarctic policy.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a general agreement that a network [of MPAs] has to be established but fishing countries (such as China) have more concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n A study by Greenpeace<\/a> analysed the movements of krill fishing vessels in the region and found they were increasingly operating \u201cin the immediate vicinity of penguin colonies and whale feeding grounds\u201d. The study also highlighted the large number of incidents of fishing boats being involved in groundings, oil spills and accidents.<\/p>\n Acknowledging their role, a group of companies responsible for 85% of krill fishing in Antarctic waters announced they would stop activities<\/a> in\u00a0key areas, including \u201cbuffer zones\u201d around penguin breeding grounds. The move has increased the pressure on governments to act on MPAs.<\/p>\n Antarctic marine reserves offer a rare opportunity to conserve and study largely untouched natural areas, experts agree. Although MPA status does little to ward off the effects of climate change, it can help ensure the other activities don\u2019t exacerbate the impacts.<\/p>\nThe proposals<\/h2>\n
Marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean<\/h3>\n
![\"antarctic](\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Screen-Shot-2018-02-23-at-16.38.07-e1532347377191-1000x815.png\")
What is at stake?<\/h2>\n
Likely outcomes<\/h2>\n
What do countries want?<\/h2>\n