A month long voyage to Antarctica is underway with a team of scientists, Antarctic
experts and philanthropist Gareth Morgan on board, hoping to raise awareness of
the urgent need to protect the unspoiled wilderness from human threat.
WWF New Zealand marine advocate, Bob Zuur says Antarctica’s Southern Ocean, famed for its isolation and home to the likes of Emperor penguins, colossal squid and
Ross Sea Killer whales, is a “critical laboratory for the study of climate change.”
But the organisation says people need to be made aware of the growing threats to the region posed by overfishing, tourism, shipping and climate change as well as possible future threats of mining and oil exploration.
WWF’s marine programme manager, Rebecca Bird, says major moves must be made to preserve the area.
“This almost pristine marine environment will not stay this way for long unless there is a coordinated international effort to protect it. Current measures are not enough to stem the tide of human activities that threaten this great southern wilderness.
“By creating a network of Southern Ocean marine protected areas we can help fish stocks and other species – from sea bed crabs through krill to giant whales – recover. The Ross Sea shelf, slope and wider region should be designated a marine reserve,
and we urge the New Zealand Government to play a central role in international
negotiations around Antarctica later this year.”
A meeting of the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources – of which the New
Zealand government is a signatory to the Commission – will take place in Hobart in October.
WWF will advocate at the meeting for a strong international commitment to protecting
most, if not all, of the Ross Sea.
To find out more about the voyage, known as the Our Far South project, click here.
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