Latest news with #UNOceansConference
Scoop
7 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Cook Islands Announces Protection Zone For Migrating Oceania Humpback Whales
The Cook Islands prime minister has announced a zone to protect the migratory corridors of the endangered Oceania humpback whale. RNZ Pacific Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown has announced the creation of a zone to protect the migratory corridors of the endangered Oceania humpback whale. Brown made the announcement at the UN Oceans Conference in Nice, France. 'We can apply our traditional Ra'ui practice at ocean scale,' Brown told the conference. 'Spanning over 400,000 square kilometres, this zone will adapt with the seasons and respond to emerging threats. Its purpose is not only conservation; it is recovery.' The Cook Islands set up Marae Moana in 2017. Brown said Ra'ui To'ora reflects a growing global truth that traditional knowledge and science can work together to shape powerful solutions. 'With regional cooperation, this could become the foundation of the Pacific's first transboundary whale corridor. 'To support this, we are further exploring the establishment of the Institute of Blue Ocean Sustainability and Science, a national initiative to advance ocean governance, foster applied research, and strengthen partnerships across government, academia, industry, and traditional leadership. 'These are not radical ideas; they are overdue. This is sovereignty matched with stewardship.' Also, at the Ocean Conference, Tuvalu prime minister Feleti Teo has called for an international treaty on sea level rise. a network of highly protected marine areas (MPAs). The conference wraps up on Friday, Nice time.
Scoop
7 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Cook Islands Announces Protection Zone For Migrating Oceania Humpback Whales
Article – RNZ The Cook Islands prime minister has announced a zone to protect the migratory corridors of the endangered Oceania humpback whale. RNZ Pacific Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown has announced the creation of a zone to protect the migratory corridors of the endangered Oceania humpback whale. Brown made the announcement at the UN Oceans Conference in Nice, France. 'We can apply our traditional Ra'ui practice at ocean scale,' Brown told the conference. 'Spanning over 400,000 square kilometres, this zone will adapt with the seasons and respond to emerging threats. Its purpose is not only conservation; it is recovery.' The Cook Islands set up Marae Moana in 2017. Brown said Ra'ui To'ora reflects a growing global truth that traditional knowledge and science can work together to shape powerful solutions. 'With regional cooperation, this could become the foundation of the Pacific's first transboundary whale corridor. 'To support this, we are further exploring the establishment of the Institute of Blue Ocean Sustainability and Science, a national initiative to advance ocean governance, foster applied research, and strengthen partnerships across government, academia, industry, and traditional leadership. 'These are not radical ideas; they are overdue. This is sovereignty matched with stewardship.' Also, at the Ocean Conference, Tuvalu prime minister Feleti Teo has called for an international treaty on sea level rise. Before the conference, French Polynesia's president, Moetai Brotherson, announced his administration's plan to establish a network of highly protected marine areas (MPAs). The conference wraps up on Friday, Nice time.
Scoop
7 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Cook Islands Announces Protection Zone For Migrating Oceania Humpback Whales
Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown has announced the creation of a zone to protect the migratory corridors of the endangered Oceania humpback whale. Brown made the announcement at the UN Oceans Conference in Nice, France. "We can apply our traditional Ra'ui practice at ocean scale," Brown told the conference. "Spanning over 400,000 square kilometres, this zone will adapt with the seasons and respond to emerging threats. Its purpose is not only conservation; it is recovery." The Cook Islands set up Marae Moana in 2017. Brown said Ra'ui To'ora reflects a growing global truth that traditional knowledge and science can work together to shape powerful solutions. "With regional cooperation, this could become the foundation of the Pacific's first transboundary whale corridor. "To support this, we are further exploring the establishment of the Institute of Blue Ocean Sustainability and Science, a national initiative to advance ocean governance, foster applied research, and strengthen partnerships across government, academia, industry, and traditional leadership. "These are not radical ideas; they are overdue. This is sovereignty matched with stewardship." Also, at the Ocean Conference, Tuvalu prime minister Feleti Teo has called for an international treaty on sea level rise. Before the conference, French Polynesia's president, Moetai Brotherson, announced his administration's plan to establish a network of highly protected marine areas (MPAs). The conference wraps up on Friday, Nice time.
Irish Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
World on verge of ratifying key treaty to protect oceans
The world is on the verge of ratifying a historic high seas treaty following progress made at the UN Oceans Conference that concluded in Nice, France, on Friday. Fifty countries, including the EU, have now agreed to ratify the treaty, and 10 others, including the UK, have agreed to ratify it by the end of the year, enabling it to come into force next year. The landmark treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction was agreed two years ago but needs ratification by 60 countries. It is a critical lever for implementing global commitments to protect 30 per cent of marine waters. Despite the progress, the failure to significantly scale up protection of oceans from deep-sea mining and sea beds from 'bottom trawling' was widely criticised. Bottom trawling involves dragging weighted nets along the sea floor to catch large quantities of commonly eaten fish such as cod, hake, haddock, halibut and sole as well as shrimp. READ MORE [ UN Ocean Conference 3: will it lead to protecting the high seas from all extraction, forever? Opens in new window ] More than 50 global leaders present heard illegal fishing practices pose a fundamental threat to marine ecosystems. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing costs up to $23.5 billion annually (€20.3 billion). This activity is creating complex security challenges that threaten global fish stocks and the stability of coastal communities . A member of the Ocean Rebellion activist group dressed as French president Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the UN ocean conference in Nice. Photograph: Valery Hache/AFP via Getty Images The UN ocean treaty during the opening session of the third oceans conference in Nice. Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images Global environmental campaign group Greenpeace said significant progress was made towards ratifying the treaty with a strong statement on a new plastics treaty signed by 95 governments. 'Once ratified, [the high seas treaty] will be the only legal tool that can create protected areas in international waters, making it fundamental to protecting 30 per cent of the world's oceans by 2030,' it added. UN secretary general António Guterres told the UN Oceans Conference that the deep sea should not become the wild west , in an apparent reference to US moves to facilitate sea mining. French president Emmanuel Macron , who co-hosted the summit, said a mining moratorium is an international necessity. Four new countries pledged their support for a moratorium, bringing the total to 37. 'High Seas Treaty ratification is within touching distance, but the progress made here in Nice feels hollow as this conference ends without more tangible commitments to stopping deep-sea mining,' added Greenpeace head of delegation Megan Randles. Mr Macron announced the creation of one of the world's largest networks of marine protected areas, with a target of 4 million km² under protection, of which 900km² is highly protected. This is being led by the government of French Polynesia. Coinciding with the conference, the European Commission adopted a European ocean pact, designed to promote a thriving blue economy and support the wellbeing of people living in coastal areas. Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, announced an investment of €1 billion in Nice to support ocean conservation, marine science and sustainable fishing. Protesters on the Promenade des Anglais ahead of the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, south-eastern France, this week. Photograph: Valery Hache/ AFP via Getty Images The UN Ocean Conference saw many announcements from individual countries and groups of countries on marine protection measures. Ghana announced it will ban bottom trawling and all industrial fishing from its waters, while the UK announced a ban over 48,000km2 of its offshore areas already designated as protected. A total of 22 Pacific nations committed to a joint effort on sustainable ocean management and conservation. Tanzania declared two new marine protected areas to safeguard vital coral reefs, seagrasses, mangroves and habitats of threatened sharks and rays. In addition, 11 governments signed a new pledge to safeguard coral reefs with the best chance of long-term survival in the face of climate change. 'With the overall state of the ocean continuing to deteriorate, we are disappointed by the lack of responsibility shown by states who were unable to agree on a clear pathway forward that defines tangible conservation action,' said Fabienne McLellan, director of international marine conservation group OceanCare. 'The health of the ocean is in free fall, and non-binding declarations will not reverse this trajectory. We needed a concrete action plan with clear timelines, but instead we got aspirational language,' she added.
Reuters
11-06-2025
- Science
- Reuters
Portugal leads marine protection with new designated area
LISBON, June 11 (Reuters) - Portugal said on Wednesday it was creating a new protected marine area around the Gorringe Ridge in the Atlantic Ocean that includes Western Europe's tallest seamount, positioning itself as a leader on the way to international conservation goals. The announcement by Environment Minister Maria da Graca Carvalho comes as countries gather in the French city of Nice for the third U.N. Oceans conference, aiming to accelerate action to preserve marine environments. Carvalho said that with the Gorringe marine protected area (MPA), some 200 km (124 miles) off the southern coast of continental Portugal, and two smaller areas to be created, the share of its seas protected would rise to at least 27% from 19%. "In terms of marine protection we are the most advanced country in the world with our characteristics combining continental and insular territory. Certainly the leader in Europe," she said. The creation of more MPAs globally is a key goal of the U.N. conference amid a push to get more countries to ratify and implement the 2023 High Seas Treaty, which provides a legal framework to protect biodiversity in international waters. So far, 51 countries have ratified the treaty, just short of the 60 needed for it to become legally binding. According to a report from last October, 8.4% of the world's marine and coastal areas were protected, less than a third of the way to a global goal of 30% by 2030. Carvalho said the creation of the MPA was expected to be approved by decree in the next couple of months, with total acreage and detail on how much will be designated as a fully protected area, where no fishing is allowed, to be determined. Emanuel Gonçalves, chief scientist at Oceano Azul Foundation, which mapped the area with the Portuguese navy and whose findings informed the government decision, said the recommended MPA would total 100,000 square kilometres (38,610 square miles). "A large-scale MPA like this, if fully protected, will functionally connect seamounts, abyssal plains, and open ocean, and create a safe haven to highly mobile and migratory species, and deep sea habitats," he said. "It will provide a fertile nursery and feeding ground for turtles, sharks, marine mammals, sea birds and tunas, expand or restore kelp and coral forests and create a sanctuary for the unique breeding aggregation of torpedo rays." Last year, Portugal created the largest protected area in the North Atlantic, encompassing almost 300,000 sq km around the Azores archipelago, half of it fully-protected.
