Born in Antarctica the largest protected marine area in the world

1.55 million square kilometers, larger than Italy, France and Spain put together: it is the largest protected marine area in the world, created by the more than 24 countries Europe. The environment is that of the Ross Sea, Antarctica, defined by scientists "the marine ecosystem less contaminated by the man on the planet" (see abstract in English). It took five years and several failed negotiations, but ultimately the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
will ensure the protection of the Ross Sea for the next 35 years. It will not only be the biggest, but also the first marine park in international waters.
The Ross Sea is a portion of Antarctica, south-east of New Zealand, from Cape Adare to Edward VII Peninsula. Will become officially protected area since December 1, 2017, the date from which will become almost entirely a no-take zones, that is, an area from which it will be possible to extract any resource. categorically banned all fishing activities will be so too.

Only a few areas of the park will be no exception, but the fishing will be allowed only for research purposes: in those areas, scientists will be able to monitor the ecosystem health and compare it with others outside of the reserve, where fishing is allowed instead. The reserve will therefore be a real open-air laboratory to also study the effect of climate change.

NUMBERS OF BIODIVERSITY. Although in such a remote place, the Ross Sea has a crucial ecological role in the balance of the planet. Three-quarters of the nutrients that sustain life in the oceans come in fact from here.

Alone, then, this region is home to over 16,000 species. Here lives the 30% of the world population of birds Procellariiformes (order they belong to birds of storms and albatross) and 50% of the killer whales. There are 32,000 samples of Weddell seals, 155,000 Emperor penguins and more than 2.5 million Adelie penguins, 38% of the world population. And of course the whales: the Ross Sea is one of the habitats of berardio Southern Africa and the minke whale.