It's a harsh time to take a helicopter view of planet earth and humanity. American politics seems intent on turning the human idiocy dial to full, North Korea is flexing its nuke testing arm like its 1995 and we're still hurtling toward that planet-consuming capitalist train wreck like mindless lemmings.
And yet this past Friday something amazing went down in Hobart, Tasmania. A total of 24 countries and the European Union, which make up the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), agreed unanimously to protect the Ross Sea – a 1.55 million square kilometre marine reserve, the world's biggest.
This wasn't a hasty decision – New Zealand, together with America, have been pushing for it for years, mostly blocked by Russia, Ukraine and China. To finally reach consensus there were some compromises. Fishing can still take place in a quarter of that (430,000 km sq) and there is a 35-year sunset clause. That means that in 35 years the incumbent generation gets to decide to continue or not.
If you're not familiar with the Ross Sea campaign, which started in in 2004, then check out the film The Last Ocean. Here's the trailer.
Often described as the Serengeti of Antarctica, the Ross Sea is one of the few places on Earth that haven't been significantly impacted by humanity. That makes it one of the last truly wild places and an environment brimming with wildlife and an opportunity for scientists to learn from a near-pristine ecosystem. From December 1, 2017 the Ross Sea will be protected thanks to the 25 members of CCAMLR. This is a giant step forward for us all. Good things do sometimes happen. Let's hope it's the start of the landslide.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Our new book Merino Country that explores some of New Zealand's most remarkable high country stations is now available at all good book stores and right here.
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