Don’t let them underestimate you

Dear Friends,

Summer may be coming to an end in Antarctica’s great Southern Ocean, but a new dawn is breaking in the fight to protect these pristine waters.

Last October we came incredibly close to the creation of two large-scale ocean sanctuaries in the Ross Sea and East Antarctica but were blocked by the Russian and Ukrainian delegations. While this result was extremely disappointing, we know that you are determined to keep fighting to protect these waters. Together, we will persevere. They have underestimated your strength, passion, and drive.  

This year we will build on the successes we had in 2013, bringing worldwide attention to the plight of some of our favourite animals that live in these pristine waters. One of these animals, the penguin, has an international day of celebration, on the 25th April. World Penguin Day is not only a fun opportunity to celebrate our web-footed friends in all their glory, but is also a critical opportunity to spread the word about protecting their home in the Southern Ocean. Stay tuned and get ready for shareable penguin fun coming your way soon...

Our plans and activities are developing fast, but our most valuable asset and ally is YOU. We need you to stay with us in this year’s critical push to create the world’s largest ocean sanctuaries around Antarctica. So to start off 2014 you can help by:

1. Sharing our petition with your friends on social media.
2.  Ask your friends and family to join the campaign by signing up to receive our news or joining us on Facebook, Twitter, VK or Weibo.

Beyond celebrating World Penguin Day we also have a calendar packed full of events, meetings and activities internationally. In Russia and Ukraine we will hold science seminars and build our presence online through Russian social media site, VK. In China we will continue to work with renowned explorer Wang Jing to spread the word about why Southern Ocean protection is important to the Chinese people. We will also be active in Norway, Japan, Korea, the UK and the EU, as well as in all our supporting countries: USA, Australia, New Zealand, and France.

Our international work will culminate in October in Australia at the 33rd meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR XXXIII,) when we will – together with you – stand united to get the creation of two large-scale ocean sanctuaries in the Ross Sea and East Antarctica.

Don’t let them underestimate you. Together we can win this.

You’ll be hearing from us very soon!

Steve Campbell, Campaign Director The AOA Team	FOLLOW THE CAMPAIGN: