Berliner Boersenzeitung - Australia moves to expand Antarctic marine park

EUR -
AED 3.849459
AFN 71.267446
ALL 97.489194
AMD 407.131662
ANG 1.888724
AOA 957.395732
ARS 1052.23996
AUD 1.608928
AWG 1.889106
AZN 1.778344
BAM 1.94835
BBD 2.115818
BDT 125.236374
BGN 1.954483
BHD 0.394975
BIF 3036.718353
BMD 1.048048
BND 1.408315
BOB 7.241313
BRL 6.09607
BSD 1.047898
BTN 88.544945
BWP 14.307296
BYN 3.429786
BYR 20541.735881
BZD 2.112523
CAD 1.463185
CDF 3007.896896
CHF 0.929362
CLF 0.036978
CLP 1020.337634
CNY 7.58493
CNH 7.60312
COP 4601.977666
CRC 532.714856
CUC 1.048048
CUP 27.773265
CVE 110.700038
CZK 25.368204
DJF 186.258433
DKK 7.459213
DOP 63.305535
DZD 140.00766
EGP 52.060203
ERN 15.720716
ETB 129.012117
FJD 2.380379
FKP 0.827242
GBP 0.832233
GEL 2.855918
GGP 0.827242
GHS 16.611978
GIP 0.827242
GMD 74.41137
GNF 9044.651585
GTQ 8.090067
GYD 219.261645
HKD 8.157359
HNL 26.384543
HRK 7.475996
HTG 137.593904
HUF 411.299528
IDR 16692.832925
ILS 3.893576
IMP 0.827242
INR 88.571355
IQD 1373.466575
IRR 44128.050457
ISK 146.100754
JEP 0.827242
JMD 166.433635
JOD 0.743174
JPY 162.013521
KES 135.723264
KGS 90.648567
KHR 4244.593516
KMF 489.959968
KPW 943.242577
KRW 1467.528958
KWD 0.322411
KYD 0.873361
KZT 519.70306
LAK 23009.888592
LBP 93905.078447
LKR 304.924111
LRD 189.120651
LSL 18.979788
LTL 3.094612
LVL 0.633954
LYD 5.119731
MAD 10.475264
MDL 19.084031
MGA 4894.383123
MKD 61.499953
MMK 3404.018207
MNT 3561.266195
MOP 8.401216
MRU 41.822309
MUR 48.632961
MVR 16.203073
MWK 1818.362584
MXN 21.399862
MYR 4.679553
MZN 67.022637
NAD 18.97998
NGN 1768.213504
NIO 38.557204
NOK 11.607569
NPR 141.67231
NZD 1.787898
OMR 0.4035
PAB 1.047993
PEN 3.977374
PGK 4.219178
PHP 61.802851
PKR 291.409517
PLN 4.343765
PYG 8225.236565
QAR 3.81568
RON 4.976446
RSD 116.993815
RUB 106.1678
RWF 1435.825416
SAR 3.934914
SBD 8.756995
SCR 14.316445
SDG 630.380512
SEK 11.596769
SGD 1.410704
SHP 0.827242
SLE 23.659663
SLL 21977.042238
SOS 598.917452
SRD 37.106106
STD 21692.472405
SVC 9.169938
SYP 2633.251262
SZL 18.980071
THB 36.391332
TJS 11.161424
TMT 3.668167
TND 3.317061
TOP 2.454635
TRY 36.149672
TTD 7.1138
TWD 34.1281
TZS 2779.798908
UAH 43.266431
UGX 3872.047297
USD 1.048048
UYU 44.65797
UZS 13498.85466
VES 48.210488
VND 26643.9939
VUV 124.426335
WST 2.925721
XAF 653.458476
XAG 0.033959
XAU 0.000393
XCD 2.832401
XDR 0.799443
XOF 649.260344
XPF 119.331742
YER 261.933367
ZAR 18.957858
ZMK 9433.687606
ZMW 28.899502
ZWL 337.470948
  • CMSC

    0.1200

    24.64

    +0.49%

  • RBGPF

    -0.5000

    59.69

    -0.84%

  • RIO

    0.0900

    62.48

    +0.14%

  • NGG

    -0.2600

    63.01

    -0.41%

  • GSK

    0.2250

    33.575

    +0.67%

  • AZN

    0.5850

    63.785

    +0.92%

  • RELX

    0.5150

    45.625

    +1.13%

  • SCS

    0.1350

    13.205

    +1.02%

  • CMSD

    0.1100

    24.37

    +0.45%

  • BTI

    -0.1200

    36.96

    -0.32%

  • BP

    0.3450

    29.425

    +1.17%

  • BCC

    3.3150

    140.725

    +2.36%

  • RYCEF

    0.1800

    6.79

    +2.65%

  • JRI

    -0.0200

    13.21

    -0.15%

  • VOD

    -0.1100

    8.83

    -1.25%

  • BCE

    -0.4900

    26.51

    -1.85%

Australia moves to expand Antarctic marine park
Australia moves to expand Antarctic marine park / Photo: SARAH DAWALIBI - AFP

Australia moves to expand Antarctic marine park

Australia moved Tuesday to protect a swathe of ocean territory by expanding an Antarctic marine park that is home to penguins, seals, whales and the country's only two active volcanos.

Text size:

The marine reserve -- Heard Island and McDonald Island -- located 1,700 kilometres (1,056 miles) from Antarctica, will quadruple in size under the announcement.

This means 52 percent of the nation's seas will be protected, a government statement said, cementing Australia's place among leading countries safeguarding seas.

It will also see Australia blitz the global 30 percent United Nations target by 2030 that Australia signed up to in 2022.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the announcement was a "huge environmental win".

"This is a unique and extraordinary part of our planet. We are doing everything we can to protect it," she said.

Australia's remoteness and vastness means it is somewhat easier to protect oceans than in other countries, particularly in parts that are used less frequently for fishing.

For example, commercial fisheries are a vital part of Tasmania's economy -- the local abalone industry provides about 25 percent of the annual global harvest -- and only 1.1 percent of its waters are protected, government data show.

WWF-Australia's head of oceans Richard Leck said the country had a "significant amount of work to ensure our network of marine parks is comprehensive, adequate and representative".

He added strong protections were still missing for many key ocean conservation areas.

"Australia is a global biodiversity hotspot and one of the world's largest coastal nations, so it's important that we do some of the heaviest lifting to care for our precious marine ecosystems and the species they call home," he said.

But Leck said the final plan did not protect "some of the islands' highest priority conservation areas", including critical foraging habitat for king penguins and black-browed albatross.

"Without increased protection, these critical foraging grounds will remain exposed to pressures like commercial fishing," he said.

(Y.Yildiz--BBZ)