Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2012 08:55:51 -0500
From: advocacyemail@pewtrusts.org
To: gaillima@hotmail.com
Subject: SPECIAL EDITION: Australia Announces World’s Largest System of Marine Parks

This week marked an exciting moment in marine conservation history, with Australia’s decision to create the world’s largest system of marine parks that would circle the country and cover more than 3 million square kilometres, including a massive fully protected marine reserve in the Coral Sea.

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Coral Sea by the Numbers:

• 504,000 square kilometres (194,000 square miles): Area designated as Coral Sea no-take marine reserve. This is about the size of Spain or 25 percent larger than California.
• 486,900: Number of comments to Australia’s government from around the world declaring support for Coral Sea protection.
• 300+: Number of marine scientists (from 35 countries) who endorsed a high level of protection for the Coral Sea.

Additional Conservation Milestones:

• The government announced it would establish an additional 35 reserves in the south-western, north-western, and northern marine regions with a total of 282,000 square kilometres (175,226 square miles) in fully protected sanctuaries, an area larger than New Zealand.
• With these additions, 13 percent of Australia’s ocean would be designated as fully protected marine national parks and sanctuaries. Before, it was 4 percent.
• The habitat of many endangered species—including the pygmy blue whale, Australian sea lion, and green turtle—would be protected.

By protecting the Coral Sea, a marine jewel and one of the world’s last intact tropical ocean ecosystems, as well as parts of its south-western, northern, and north-western marine regions, Australia has again proved itself to be a leader in ocean protection. On the eve of the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, the country has sent a clear message: Strong ocean conservation and management are critical to the health of the global economy and our environment.
Since 2007, the Pew Environment Group has worked in Australia to conserve its globally significant marine and terrestrial environment with our Global Ocean Legacy and Outback Australia campaigns. We congratulate Australia for its groundbreaking announcement and look forward to more efforts to conserve the special places in the sea.Learn more here.