The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, also known as the CAMLR Convention, is part of the Antarctic Treaty System.
The Convention was opened for signature on 1 August 1980 and entered into force on 7 April 1982 by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), headquartered in Tasmania, Australia. The goal is to preserve marine life and environmental integrity in and near Antarctica.
It was established in large part to concerns that an increase in krill catches in the Southern Ocean could have a serious impact on populations of other marine life which are dependent upon krill for food.
In 1989, CCAMLR set up the Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP) to further monitor the effects of fishing and harvesting of species in the area.
On 19 October 2022, Ecuador became a New Member of the Commission, the 26th member state of the CCAMLR.
Member states
thumb|Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources Map
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Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
In 2009, the Commission agreed by consensus to creating a representative network of MPAs by 2012. It was the first international body to do this based on recommendations from the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development. In 2011, it identified nine planning domains within which to designate these protected areas.
{| class="wikitable"
!Marine Protected Area
!Size
!Status
!Proposed
!Proposed by
!Designated
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|South Orkneys
|94,000 km2
|Designated
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|United Kingdom
|2009
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|Ross Sea
|1,550,000 km2
|Designated
|2012
|New Zealand, United States
|2016
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|East Antarctica
|950,000 km2
|Proposal
|2010
|Australia, France, European Union
|Germany, European Union
|N/A
|-
|Antarctic Peninsula
|450,000 km2
|Proposal
|2018
|Argentina, Chile
|N/A
|}
South Orkneys MPA
In 2009, the Commission agreed by consensus to establish the world's first high-seas MPA to protect ocean surrounding the South Orkney Islands in the south Atlantic Ocean.
References
External links
- Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
- CCAMLR Convention text