PERTH, Australia, – China and Russia have thwarted an international attempt to create the world’s largest ocean sanctuary in Antarctica as both nations eye the region’s rich reserves of fish and krill.
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) wound up a 10-day meeting in Hobart, Australia on Friday without the consensus needed for a deal to conserve and manage the marine ecosystems in the Southern Ocean.
While Russia blocked conservation proposals for a fourth consecutive time, China’s refusal to back the international plan came as a surprise to many delegates after previous statements of support for conservation and marine protection.
Ukraine, which previously took the same stance as Russia, this year voted in favour of the proposals.
“We had hoped to be able to create what would have been the largest marine-protected area in the world and had been working on that for several years,” U.S. delegation leader Evan Bloom told Reuters.
The objective of the CCAMLR, which was established by international treaty in 1982, is the conservation of Antarctic marine life “whilst providing for rational use” that takes global food security into account.
