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is due to agree a new Treaty to protect the #HighSeas.
New study identifies 9 amazing places in international waters that desperately need protection; a thread.
(n.b. links to report/studies at the end!)
is due to agree a new Treaty to protect the #HighSeas.New study identifies 9 amazing places in international waters that desperately need protection; a thread.
(n.b. links to report/studies at the end!)
The Salas y Gómez and Nazca Ridges are connected submarine mountain ranges with the peak between them located about 2,000 kilometres from mainland Chile. Seamounts in these waters offer refuge to both resident and migratory species, including leatherback sea turtles.
The Costa Rica Dome: Efforts are underway to protect the Costa Rica Dome area within national waters and on the high seas in recognition of the uniqueness of its ecological drivers and the life it supports.
The Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea are among the most biodiverse & productive waters beyond national jurisdiction.Seabirds such as this Gould’s petrel, a threatened species, are abundant in the waters of Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea.
Emperor Seamount Chain is a productive and highly biodiverse series of seamounts in the northwest Pacific.Recent studies show that these seamounts support high levels of species richness and the presence of threatened species, including deep-sea cold-water coral communities.
The Mascarene Plateau supports one of the only areas of high seas seagrasses, which turtles like this one call home.Despite the ecological importance of the Mascarene Plateau, interests are working to exploit the area’s resources for commercial purposes.
Arabian Sea: these waters beyond India, Pakistan, Oman and Yemen has an extreme oxygen minimum zone, a distinct and rare feature.Although there is some fishing, marine biodiversity is mostly threatened by vessel pollution and spills, as well as ship strikes.
The Gulf of Guinea is a biological hot spot. Powerful upwelling and the convergence of three separate currents drive some of the highest levels of productivity in the high seas.Many species of tuna, swordfish, sharks, and rays all use these waters for their development.
Walvis Ridge is an undersea mountain range that formed as a result of a volcanic hot spot track off the southwestern tip of Africa.The variation in the slopes, summits and surface waters of the Walvis Ridge supports a diverse ecological community.
Sargasso Sea and Corner Rise Seamounts; defined by its characteristic seaweeds, the Sargasso Sea has ecological importance rivaled by few places in the world. Habitat for many critically important and endemic species, such as European and American eels.
...as promised link to full report:
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2020/03/a-path-to-creating-the-first-generation-of-high-seas-protected-areas
...and the excellent study on which it was based:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X19309194
(Chapeau to all involved -and apologies for cribbing their hard work above)
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2020/03/a-path-to-creating-the-first-generation-of-high-seas-protected-areas
...and the excellent study on which it was based:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X19309194
(Chapeau to all involved -and apologies for cribbing their hard work above)
