A proposal for the establishment of a Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area

The delegations of New Zealand and the United States submit this revised proposal for the establishment of a marine protected area (MPA) in the Ross Sea Region (“Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area”) by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (Commission or CCAMLR). First submitted at CCAMLR XXXI in October 2012 and again at CCAMLR SM-II in July 2013 (CCAMLR-SM-II/04) and CCAMLR XXXII in October 2013 (CCAMLR-XXXII/27), our delegations propose that CCAMLR establish this MPA to conserve marine living resources; maintain ecosystem structure and function; protect vital ecosystem processes and areas of ecological significance; and promote scientific research, including through the establishment of reference areas. We thank Members for the many constructive discussions and comments regarding the Ross Sea Region MPA proposal at the recent meetings of the Scientific Committee and Commission in Hobart in October 2013. Taking careful consideration of those discussions and comments, the proposal has been further revised. Among the key revisions included are amendments to the preamble; the addition of MPA zone descriptions, including a listing of the specific protection and scientific objectives associated with the zones; reorganization and technical changes to reporting, review, and period of designation components; and other technical clarifications. We recognize that additional key issues related to the proposal were discussed by the Scientific Committee and the Commission at CCAMLR XXXII. These require further discussion and negotiation by the Commission. We look forward to working together with Members at CCAMLR XXXIII on those issues and the amendments proposed here to reach consensus for CCAMLR to establish an MPA in the Ross Sea Region.