We are close

Just a few weeks to the annual meeting in Hobart of the the Commission for the Conservation of Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), and the signs of getting a result are looking positive. We could be on the verge of a win for the Southern Ocean and you can play a critical role in making sure decision-makers know they have the support they need to sustain these tough negotiations.

You may remember that CCAMLR works by consensus. That means all 24 member countries, and the EU, must support any proposal for a marine protected area before it is adopted.

Last year, Russia was the only country not to support a proposal to protect the Ross Sea - a pristine stretch of the Southern Ocean that is home to Weddell seals, Adelie penguins and toothfish. But recent events indicate that Russia’s position may be shifting.

Just two weeks ago, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry revealed that top-level discussions with Russia are underway:

“I will tell you that I have had conversations about that with President Putin, with Minister Lavrov, and they told me that they were engaged in interagency assessment last week. I don’t know what the results of that assessment will be, but we obviously all remain hopeful that Russia will step up and join us in this endeavor.

“We are hopeful that that number (of marine protected areas - MPAs) is going to grow as the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources convenes next week to consider an MPA in the Ross Sea."

If we want to see agreement when the negotiations begin on October 17, we need these high-level discussions to continue. Can you please send a message now to the countries that make up CCAMLR and tell them to keep up the good work?

Encouragingly, President Putin has declared 2017 as the Year of Ecology and just three weeks ago, Russia announced the expansion of its Arctic National Park in Franz Josef Land protecting 8.8 million hectares of ocean.

Let’s make sure the Ross Sea is next.

Thank you for your support. I really appreciate it.

Mike Walker,

Project Director, Antarctic Ocean Alliance

P.S. It takes less than one minute. Choose a country from the drop down menu, select an image, and send your message. Easy.