IAS Gyan

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Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)                                              

5th October, 2021 ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

                       

                                             

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Context: 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.

 

About MPA:

  • 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.
  • Since 2009, CCAMLR members have developed proposals for MPAs for various regions of the Southern Ocean.

 

About Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources:

  • It 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.
  • It was established in response to concerns that increasing krill fishing activities could have a deleterious impact on the Southern Ocean ecosystem.
  • It is an international treaty between 25 nations that seeks to manage Antarctic fisheries with the goal of preserving species diversity and stability of the entire Antarctic marine ecosystem.
  • Although the aim of the Convention is to conserve marine life of the Southern Ocean, it does not prohibit reasonable harvesting.
  • India has been a permanent member of the CCAMLR since 1986. Work pertaining to the CCAMLR is coordinated in India by the Ministry of Earth Sciences through its attached office, the Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE) in Kochi, Kerala.
  • It is part of the Antarctic Treaty System.

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1759694