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Observer
a day ago
- Science
- Observer
World coming up short on promised marine sanctuaries
Brest: A global target of having 30 per cent of the oceans become protected areas by 2030 is looking more fragile than ever, with little progress and the United States backing away, conservationists say. "With less than 10 per cent of the ocean designated as MPAs (marine protected areas) and only 2.7 per cent fully or highly protected, it is going to be difficult to reach the 30 per cent target," said Lance Morgan, head of the Marine Conservation Institute in Seattle, Washington. The institute maps the MPAs for an online atlas, updating moves to meet the 30 per cent goal that 196 countries signed onto in 2022, under the Kunling-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The ambition is notably at risk because "we see countries like the US reversing course and abandoning decades of bipartisan efforts" to protect areas of the Pacific Ocean, Morgan said. That referred to an April executive order by President Donald Trump authorising industrial-scale fishing in big swathes of an MPA in that ocean. Currently, there are 16,516 declared MPAs in the world, covering just 8.4 per cent of the oceans. But not all are created equal: some forbid all forms of fishing, while others place no roles, or almost none, on what activities are proscribed or permitted. "Only a third of them have levels of protection that would yield proper benefits" for fish, said Joachim Claudet, a socio-ecology marine researcher at France's CNRS. Daniel Pauly, a professor of fisheries science at Canada's University of British Columbia, said "The marine protected areas have not really been proposed for the protection of biodiversity" but "to increase fish catches". A proper MPA "exports fish to non-protected zones, and that should be the main reason that we create marine protected areas — they are needed to have fish", he said. When fish populations are left to reproduce and grow in protected areas, there is often a spillover effect that sees fish stocks outside the zones also rise, as several scientific journals have noted, especially around a no-fishing MPA in Hawaiian waters that is the biggest in the world. One 2022 study in the Science journal showed a 54 per cent increase in yellowfin tuna around that Hawaiian MPA, an area now threatened by Trump's executive order, Pauly said. For such sanctuaries to work, there need to be fishing bans overall or at least some of their zones, Claudet said. But MPAs with such restrictions account for just 2.7 per cent of the ocean's area and are almost always in parts that are far from areas heavily impacted by human activities. In Europe, for instance, "90 per cent of the marine protected areas are still exposed to bottom trawling," a spokesperson for the NGO Oceana, Alexandra Cousteau, said. "It's ecological nonsense." Pauly said that "bottom trawling in MPAs is like picking flowers with a bulldozer... they scrape the seabed". Oceana said French MPAs suffered intensive bottom trawling, 17,000 hours' worth in 2024, as did those in British waters, with 20,600 hours. The NGO is calling for a ban on the technique, which involves towing a heavy net along the sea floor, churning it up. A recent WWF report said that just two per cent of European Union waters were covered by MPAs with management plans, even some with no protection measures included. The head of WWF's European office for the oceans, Jacob Armstrong, said that was insufficient to protect oceanic health. Governments need to back words with action, he said, or else these areas would be no more than symbolic markings on a map. — AFP
DW
2 days ago
- Science
- DW
The Last Neanderthal – DW – 06/02/2025
Did Homo sapiens and Neanderthals share the same habitat for a long period of time? Excavations by a French research team at the Mandrin Cave suggest as much. The researchers' work has yielded even more astonishing findings. Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) are a species of human that lived in Europe and Asia alongside modern humans (Homo sapiens) and became extinct around 40,000 years ago. Image: Arte France The extinction of the Neanderthals, the one species that dominated the Eurasian continent prior to the arrival of Homo sapiens, is one of the most puzzling topics in archeology. How were these two hominids connected? Was Homo sapiens partially responsible for the eradication of the Neandertals from planet Earth? Or did the two potentially coexist over several millennia? Image: Arte France A team of researchers led by archaeologist Ludovic Slimak are working in the Mandrin Cave to answer these very questions. Their findings are being examined by scientists from the French research organization CNRS, using state-of-the-art archaeological methods. Neanderthals probably lived in isolated groups. They therefore lacked the necessary genetic exchange that has greatly helped modern humans. This inbreeding could have been fatal. Image: Arte France The Mandrin Cave has been the focus of several excavations since 1991. In 2015, a new discovery was made: Fossilized remains from the late Neanderthal period. The individual belonged to one of the last Neanderthal lineages. The scientists succeeded in extracting genetic material from the root of one of 'Thorin's' molars, which could then be analysed. Image: Arte France The archaeologists dubbed him "Thorin'. The find suggests that for a long time, Neanderthals lived very close to the newly arrived Homo sapiens - and that the two groups probably crossed paths. Image: Arte France Ludovic Slimak and the scientists from the French research organization CNRS provide an insight into the extraordinary results of their work. Broadcasting Hours: DW English WED 11.06.2025 – 01:15 UTC WED 11.06.2025 – 04:15 UTC THU 12.06.2025 – 09:15 UTC THU 12.06.2025 – 16:15 UTC THU 12.06.2025 – 21:15 UTC FRI 13.06.2025 – 12:15 UTC SAT 14.06.2025 – 02:15 UTC SUN 15.06.2025 – 08:15 UTC Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3 Delhi UTC +5,5 | Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8 London UTC +1 | Berlin UTC +2 | Moscow UTC +3 San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Straits Times
World coming up short on promised marine sanctuaries
Less than 10 per cent of the ocean has been designated as marine protected areas, despite the global target of 30 per cent by 2030. PHOTO: AFP BREST, France - A global target of having 30 per cent of the oceans become protected areas by 2030 is looking more fragile than ever, with little progress and the US backing away, conservationists say. 'With less than 10 per cent of the ocean designated as MPAs (marine protected areas) and only 2.7 per cent fully or highly protected, it is going to be difficult to reach the 30 per cent target,' said Dr Lance Morgan, head of the Marine Conservation Institute in Seattle, Washington. The institute maps the MPAs for an online atlas, updating moves to meet the 30 per cent goal that 196 countries signed onto in 2022, under the Kunling-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The ambition is notably at risk because 'we see countries like the US reversing course and abandoning decades of bipartisan efforts' to protect areas of the Pacific Ocean, Dr Morgan said. That referred to an April executive order by President Donald Trump authorising industrial-scale fishing in big swathes of an MPA in that ocean. Currently, there are 16,516 declared MPAs in the world, covering just 8.4 per cent of the oceans. But not all are created equal: some forbid all forms of fishing, while others place no roles, or almost none, on what activities are proscribed or permitted. 'Only a third of them have levels of protection that would yield proper benefits' for fish, said Dr Joachim Claudet, a socio-ecology marine researcher at France's CNRS. Dr Daniel Pauly, a professor of fisheries science at Canada's University of British Columbia, said 'the marine protected areas have not really been proposed for the protection of biodiversity' but 'to increase fish catches'. A proper MPA 'exports fish to non-protected zones, and that should be the main reason that we create marine protected areas – they are needed to have fish', he said. When fish populations are left to reproduce and grow in protected areas, there is often a spillover effect that sees fish stocks outside the zones also rise, as several scientific journals have noted, especially around a no-fishing MPA in Hawaiian waters that is the biggest in the world. One 2022 study in the Science journal showed a 54 per cent increase in yellowfin tuna around that Hawaiian MPA, an area now threatened by Mr Trump's executive order, Dr Pauly said. For such sanctuaries to work, there needs to be fishing bans over all or at least some of their zones, Dr Claudet said. But MPAs with such restrictions account for just 2.7 per cent of the ocean's area, and are almost always in parts that are far from areas heavily impacted by human activities. In Europe, for instance, '90 per cent of the marine protected areas are still exposed to bottom trawling,' a spokesperson for the NGO Oceana, Alexandra Cousteau, said. 'It's ecological nonsense.' Dr Pauly said that 'bottom trawling in MPAs is like picking flowers with a bulldozer... they scrape the seabed'. Oceana said French MPAs suffered intensive bottom trawling, 17,000 hours' worth in 2024, as did those in British waters, with 20,600 hours. The NGO is calling for a ban on the technique, which involves towing a heavy net along the sea floor, churning it up. Governments need to back words with action, or else these areas would be no more than symbolic markings on a map, said the head of the World Wildlife Fund's European office for the oceans, Jacob Armstrong. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
France 24
2 days ago
- Science
- France 24
World coming up short on promised marine sanctuaries
"With less than 10 percent of the ocean designated as MPAs (marine protected areas) and only 2.7 percent fully or highly protected, it is going to be difficult to reach the 30 percent target," said Lance Morgan, head of the Marine Conservation Institute in Seattle, Washington. The institute maps the MPAs for an online atlas, updating moves to meet the 30 percent goal that 196 countries signed onto in 2022, under the Kunling-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The ambition is notably at risk because "we see countries like the US reversing course and abandoning decades of bipartisan efforts" to protect areas of the Pacific Ocean, Morgan said. That referred to an April executive order by President Donald Trump authorising industrial-scale fishing in big swathes of an MPA in that ocean. Currently, there are 16,516 declared MPAs in the world, covering just 8.4 percent of the oceans. But not all are created equal: some forbid all forms of fishing, while others place no roles, or almost none, on what activities are proscribed or permitted. "Only a third of them have levels of protection that would yield proper benefits" for fish, said Joachim Claudet, a socio-ecology marine researcher at France's CNRS. Daniel Pauly, a professor of fisheries science at Canada's University of British Columbia, said "the marine protected areas have not really been proposed for the protection of biodiversity" but "to increase fish catches". A proper MPA "exports fish to non-protected zones, and that should be the main reason that we create marine protected areas -- they are needed to have fish", he said. When fish populations are left to reproduce and grow in protected areas, there is often a spillover effect that sees fish stocks outside the zones also rise, as several scientific journals have noted, especially around a no-fishing MPA in Hawaiian waters that is the biggest in the world. One 2022 study in the Science journal showed a 54 percent in crease in yellowfin tuna around that Hawaiian MPA, an area now threatened by Trump's executive order, Pauly said. Fishing bans For such sanctuaries to work, there need to be fishing bans over all or at least some of their zones, Claudet said. But MPAs with such restrictions account for just 2.7 percent of the ocean's area, and are almost always in parts that are far from areas heavily impacted by human activities. In Europe, for instance, "90 percent of the marine protected areas are still exposed to bottom trawling," a spokesperson for the NGO Oceana, Alexandra Cousteau, said. "It's ecological nonsense." Pauly said that "bottom trawling in MPAs is like picking flowers with a bulldozer... they scrape the seabed". Oceana said French MPAs suffered intensive bottom trawling, 17,000 hours' worth in 2024, as did those in British waters, with 20,600 hours. The NGO is calling for a ban on the technique, which involves towing a heavy net along the sea floor, churning it up. A recent WWF report said that just two percent of European Union waters were covered by MPAs with management plans, even some with no protection measures included. The head of WWF's European office for the oceans, Jacob Armstrong, said that was insufficient to protect oceanic health.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Hindustan Times
World coming up short on promised marine sanctuaries
A global target of having 30 percent of the oceans become protected areas by 2030 is looking more fragile than ever, with little progress and the United States backing away, conservationists say. "With less than 10 percent of the ocean designated as MPAs and only 2.7 percent fully or highly protected, it is going to be difficult to reach the 30 percent target," said Lance Morgan, head of the Marine Conservation Institute in Seattle, Washington. The institute maps the MPAs for an online atlas, updating moves to meet the 30 percent goal that 196 countries signed onto in 2022, under the Kunling-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The ambition is notably at risk because "we see countries like the US reversing course and abandoning decades of bipartisan efforts" to protect areas of the Pacific Ocean, Morgan said. That referred to an April executive order by President Donald Trump authorising industrial-scale fishing in big swathes of an MPA in that ocean. Currently, there are 16,516 declared MPAs in the world, covering just 8.4 percent of the oceans. But not all are created equal: some forbid all forms of fishing, while others place no roles, or almost none, on what activities are proscribed or permitted. "Only a third of them have levels of protection that would yield proper benefits" for fish, said Joachim Claudet, a socio-ecology marine researcher at France's CNRS. Daniel Pauly, a professor of fisheries science at Canada's University of British Columbia, said "the marine protected areas have not really been proposed for the protection of biodiversity" but "to increase fish catches". A proper MPA "exports fish to non-protected zones, and that should be the main reason that we create marine protected areas they are needed to have fish", he said. When fish populations are left to reproduce and grow in protected areas, there is often a spillover effect that sees fish stocks outside the zones also rise, as several scientific journals have noted, especially around a no-fishing MPA in Hawaiian waters that is the biggest in the world. One 2022 study in the Science journal showed a 54 percent in crease in yellowfin tuna around that Hawaiian MPA, an area now threatened by Trump's executive order, Pauly said. For such sanctuaries to work, there need to be fishing bans over all or at least some of their zones, Claudet said. But MPAs with such restrictions account for just 2.7 percent of the ocean's area, and are almost always in parts that are far from areas heavily impacted by human activities. In Europe, for instance, "90 percent of the marine protected areas are still exposed to bottom trawling," a spokesperson for the NGO Oceana, Alexandra Cousteau, said. "It's ecological nonsense." Pauly said that "bottom trawling in MPAs is like picking flowers with a bulldozer... they scrape the seabed". Oceana said French MPAs suffered intensive bottom trawling, 17,000 hours' worth in 2024, as did those in British waters, with 20,600 hours. The NGO is calling for a ban on the technique, which involves towing a heavy net along the sea floor, churning it up. A recent WWF report said that just two percent of European Union waters were covered by MPAs with management plans, even some with no protection measures included. The head of WWF's European office for the oceans, Jacob Armstrong, said that was insufficient to protect oceanic health. Governments need to back words with action, he said, or else these areas would be no more than symbolic markings on a map. aag/ico/cbn/rmb/dhw
