China has proposed a 127,000km² marine protected area in East Antarctica's Cosmonauts Sea, a region named after the Soviet Union. The proposed area would allow commercial krill fishing for several weeks each year and has a lifespan of 20 years. The plan is set to be considered at the 45th meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in Hobart, Tasmania, from October 19 to 30. The commission, comprising 27 members including Norway, South Africa, and Ukraine, requires consensus to pass the proposal.
The proposed marine protected area (MPA) would provide seasonal protection, with commercial krill fishing allowed for roughly six weeks in one zone, two months in another, and two months in the coastal zone. The plan aims to protect important feeding areas for Adélie penguins, whales, and seabirds, as well as conserve the krill on which these predators depend. The MPA would be reviewed at least every five years, allowing for amendments to its management measures. This proposal is seen as a significant development in the geopolitics of the CCAMLR.
China's proposal has been met with analysis from experts, who note that the use of the name "Cosmonauts Sea" signals Beijing's strategic relationship with Russia and its attempt to challenge the "monopoly club" of Euro-Western claimant states. Klaus Dodds, professor of geopolitics at Middlesex University London, stated that China's citation of a Soviet name dating back to the early 1960s underscores Beijing's strategic relationship with the Russian Federation. Dodds also noted that China's proposal is a sideswipe at what Beijing perceives as the "monopoly club" of Euro-Western claimant states.
China is not only proposing the MPA but also seeking changes to the rules governing marine protection across the Southern Ocean. One of the proposed changes includes a new definition of an MPA as a geographically defined area established "by regulating harvesting and associated activities". The proposed definition also notes that conservation includes "rational use" - the term employed by the commission to describe sustainably harvested "marine living resources". This change has raised concerns among experts, who note that it may undermine the effectiveness of MPAs.
China's proposed changes to the rules also include striking two objectives from the existing list of purposes for which protected areas can be established. The two objectives are "the protection of features critical to the function of local ecosystems" and "the protection of areas to maintain resilience or the ability to adapt to the effects of climate change". While the change would not remove climate change from the MPA framework altogether, it has raised concerns among experts, who note that it may weaken the commission's ability to protect Antarctic ecosystems.
The proposal has implications for existing MPA plans, including four other proposals currently before CCAMLR. These proposals, including plans for other parts of East and West Antarctica, have been blocked by Beijing and Moscow's envoys for nearly a decade. China's rules document states that once the commission adopts an amended framework, existing MPA proposals "should be improved" to comply with the revised version. This raises the prospect that MPA proposals already exposed to years of negotiations could face additional scientific and procedural hurdles before being adopted.
The outcome of China's proposal remains uncertain, with some experts noting that "MPAs cannot be seasonal". The last Antarctic MPA was approved in the Ross Sea region by consensus in 2016 after high-profile leadership by Senator John Kerry persuaded China to support the proposal. China's Cosmonauts Sea proposal signals a willingness to re-write the "rules" around MPAs and the way CCAMLR parties have done their business in the recent past.
Key points
- China's proposed MPA would allow commercial krill fishing for several weeks each year.
- The proposed MPA has a lifespan of 20 years and would be reviewed every five years.
- China's proposal has implications for existing MPA plans, including four other proposals currently before CCAMLR.
