Russia Blocks International Effort to Protect Antarctic Waters

Russia put an end to two proposals designed to protect huge swaths of open water off the Antarctic coast Tuesday by challenging the legal basis that would allow for the creation of the protected waters.

The proposals hinged on the unanimous consensus of the European Union and the 24 nations belonging to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which met this week for a special session to discuss the proposed Antarctic marine reserves in Bremerhaven, Germany. It was only the second time CCAMLR had met outside its regular annual gathering.

This is the second consecutive CCAMLR meeting where Russia has had a hand in the defeat of the proposals to create marine protection areas in parts of the Ross Sea and waters off Eastern Antarctica.

Last October, the commission, which includes nations with scientific and commercial interest in the waters around Antarctica, met in Hobart, Australia, where the proposals were shot down by China, Russia and Ukraine.

"The actions of the Russian delegation have put international cooperation and goodwill at risk, the two key ingredients needed for global marine conservation," Andrea Kavanagh, director of The Pew Charitable Trusts' Southern Ocean sanctuaries project, said in a statement.

"That we missed a critical opportunity to protect some of the most pristine ocean areas on Earth is a loss for the ecosystem and the international community. We urge world leaders to appeal to Russia to work with other countries, and it is imperative that countries send their delegates back to the table in three months to find consensus to protect Antarctic waters."

New Zealand and the United States led an effort to protect a 2.27 million square kilometer (876,452 square mile) area in the Ross Sea. A separate proposal aimed to create seven marine protected areas in waters off East Antarctica is put forward by Australia, France and the European Union.

Because the waters off Antarctica's coast are considered international territory, creation of marine preserves requires international consensus. Less than 1 percent of global ocean is fully protected, whereas about 12 percent of Earth's land area has full protection, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Conservation organizations expressed dismay at the result of the conference.

"After two years of preparation, including this meeting, which Russia requested to settle the scientific case for the Ross Sea and East Antarctic proposals, we leave with nothing," said Steve Campbell, Director of the Antarctic Ocean Alliance, which holds an active interest in creating the reserves.

Campbell told the BBC that the failure to reach a consensus was "the loss of an extraordinary opportunity."

Countries with fishing interests in the Antarctica waters held reservations about the proposed marine protection areas. Marine species such as krill and Patagonian toothfish are highly profitable for fishermen from a range of countries, including South Korea, Norway and Japan, the BBC reported.

Antarctic krill are a key element of the ocean ecosystem, as they are part of the diet of whales, penguins, seals and sea birds. But in recent years, demand for krill has risen dramatically due to the interest in Omega-3 dietary supplements, of which krill are a component.

Conservation groups want to ensure that the waters around Antarctica remain unspoiled.

"We have one more opportunity later this year to keep these last wild places intact," said Kavanagh of the Pew Trusts. "Governments need to take this important step toward cooperative action to protect and conserve marine life in the world's oceans. It's critical that they get it right."