French Polynesia has announced the creation of the world’s largest marine protected area.
Speaking on the first day of the United Nations Ocean Conference in France, French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson said the MPA will cover the territory’s entire exclusive economic zone (EEZ), or 4.8 million square kilometers (roughly 1.9 million square miles).
“We have been managing this EEZ wisely for centuries, using the techniques that were passed on from the generations before us and our ancestors,” Brotherson told Time.
The MPA will include 1.086 million km2 (nearly 420,000 mi2) of highly or fully protected ocean, an area twice the size of mainland France. Of this, some 900,000 km2 (about 350,000 mi2) will be fully protected: 220,000 square kilometers (85,000 square miles) located near the Society Islands and 680,000 km2 (263,000 mi2) near the Gambier Islands. In these areas, no extractive fishing or mining will be allowed. About 186,000 km2 (72,000 mi2) will be an artisanal fishing zone, only allowing traditional line fishing. The rest of the EEZ will be under less stringent protection but will “restrict extractive practices like deep-sea mining and bottom-trawling,” Time reported.
Brotherson added that another 500,000 km2 (about 193,000 mi2) will be turned into highly protected area by World Ocean Day 2026.
