Marine Protected Areas for Antarctica

• Main Author: Gibson, Mark
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: 1999
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/14286

The marine environment accounts for 71% of the earth's surface (Nybakken, 1997). As water is a three dimensional medium, this makes the entire volume Where organisms can live equate to 1370 x 106 km3, Which makes it the single largest habitat stanghQlQ on the planet. The marine environment is in need Of protection. Protection is urgent to conserve marine heritage and life support systems of the globe (Kelleher & Kenchington, 1992). The oceans regulate climate, dissolve harmful gases, provide food and habitats to sustain life on planet earth. The natural state of the marine ecosystems needs preservation. Oceans of the world have not been respected by humans in the past. Humans have seen them as an inexhaustible source Of food, as having an infinite capacity to absorb and purify our wastes, and as a source of all the raw materials to sustain an industrial society (Nybakken, 1997). This has gone on for too long. Humans are adversely effecting the marine environment all the time. Constant destruction Of our terrestrial habitat directly effects the marine environment in many ways. For example, domestic sewage entering aquatic systems inevitably ends up in the oceans, Consideration Of our impacts needs to take form. The marine environment accounts for 71% of the earth's surface (Nybakken, 1997). As water is a three dimensional medium, this makes the entire volume Where organisms can live equate to 1370 x 106 km3, Which makes it the single largest habitat stanghQlQ on the planet. The marine environment is in need Of protection. Protection is urgent to conserve marine heritage and life support systems of the globe (Kelleher & Kenchington, 1992). The oceans regulate climate, dissolve harmful gases, provide food and habitats to sustain life on planet earth. The natural state of the marine ecosystems needs preservation. Oceans of the world have not been respected by humans in the past. Humans have seen them as an inexhaustible source Of food, as having an infinite capacity to absorb and purify our wastes, and as a ...