The Third Special Meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which was focused exclusively on the issue of Marine Protected areas, concluded today in Santiago, Chile. The meeting was chaired by Mr Vitalii Tsymbaliuk (Ukraine).

The Commission has previously implemented two high-seas marine protected areas, the South Orkney Islands southern shelf MPA and the Ross Sea Region MPA, and has in place a conservation measure governing the procedures for designation of MPAs.

Members reviewed several proposals on how to further develop a representative system of marine protected areas, including a review of the procedures and requirements for the development of MPA proposals, and the timeframe for adopting new MPAs and research and monitoring plans. 

Discussions will continue at the forty-second annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) from 16 to 27 October 2023 in Hobart, Australia.

Background

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources was established by an international treaty in 1982 and in 2022 celebrated 40 years of conserving the waters around Antarctica. Its objective is the conservation of Antarctic marine life, including krill which are highly important in the Antarctic ecosystem, where conservation includes rational use. The Commission has 27 Members and a further 10 countries have signed the Convention and are observers to its meetings. Non-contracting parties and representatives from intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations also participate as observers.

The Third Special Meeting of CCAMLR took place from 19 to 23 June 2023, hosted by the Government of Chile and chaired by Mr Vitalii Tsymbaliuk of Ukraine. The full schedule is available on the CCAMLR website here.

CCAMLR is a key international instrument part of the Antarctic Treaty System that as a whole for 60 years has ensured peace, freedom of science and protection of the environment in the Antarctic region. The system consists of the Antarctic Treaty and its Environmental Protocol, the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels and the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals in addition to CCAMLR. The Secretariat (international Headquarters) is based in Hobart, Australia.

The Forty-First meeting of the Commission took place in Hobart in October 2022, reaffirming Members’ determination to establish a representative system of Marine Protected Areas within the Convention Area, and to continue making best efforts to scientifically design, designate, implement, monitor and review effectiveness of MPAs in accordance with the Convention. The full declaration is available here.

Further information is available on the CCAMLR website, brochure or through our blog looking through the achievements of CCAMLR over the past 40 years.

Media Contacts

Press enquiries should be directed to media [at] ccamlr [dot] org or the media department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, snuneza [at] minrel [dot] gob [dot] cl / varqueros [at] minrel [dot] gob [dot] cl.