India has extended support for protecting the Antarctic environment and for co-sponsoring the proposal of the European Union for designating East Antarctica and the Weddell Sea as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) at a high-level ministerial meeting conducted on September 29, 2021.
- Union Minister for State Shri Jitendra Singh urged the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) member countries to ensure that India remains associated with the formulation, adaptation and implementation mechanisms of these MPAs in future.
- The proposal to designate East Antarctica and the Weddell Sea as MPAs was first put forth to the CCAMLR in 2020 but could not reach a consensus at that time.
- By the end of October 2021, India would join these countries in co-sponsoring the MPA proposals.
Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
- The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) is an international treaty to manage Antarctic fisheries with the goal of preserving species diversity and stability of the entire Antarctic marine ecosystem.
- The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources was established in 1982.
- Although the aim of the Convention is to conserve marine life of the Southern Ocean, it does not prohibit reasonable harvesting.
- Each member of the Commission is involved in fishing and/or scientific research in the Southern Ocean. These activities are coordinated and regulated by the Commission.
- India has been a permanent member of the CCAMLR since 1986.
About Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
- An MPA is a marine protected area that provides protection for all or part of its natural resources.
- Certain activities within an MPA are limited or prohibited to meet specific conservation, habitat protection, ecosystem monitoring, or fisheries management objectives.
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