Greenpeace calls for high seas protected area in Galapagos
By AFP
Published March 11, 2024
Fish swim at the North Seymour Island dive site in Ecuador's Galapagos archipelago, a diverse marine area that Greenpeace hopes will be further protected from the hazards of industrial fishing - Copyright AFP OZAN KOSE
Greenpeace on Monday called for the creation of a high seas marine protected zone under a new UN treaty to secure a much wider area around Ecuador’s famous Galapagos archipelago.
The islands, whose unique fauna and flora inspired British scientist Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, are home to one of the world’s largest marine protected areas, in the eastern Pacific Ocean. But “just outside the Galapagos protected area, industrial fishing fleets continue to plunder the oceans. We must protect this area,” Ruth Ramos of the Greenpeace Protect the Oceans campaign said in a statemen
Greenpeace urged governments to ratify the so-called High Seas Treaty adopted by United Nations member states last June to allow for the creation of an expanded protected area in international waters, outside of any country’s jurisdiction.
“This historic treaty, once ratified, will enable us to protect a vast area of international waters near the Galapagos Islands, safeguarding a vital migratory superhighway for marine life such as sharks and turtles,” said Ramos.
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