Two weeks of negotiations at the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) ended in Hobart last week without an agreement on any of the proposed marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean, or on new precautionary measures to manage the Antarctic krill fishery.

It marks the tenth consecutive year that CCAMLR has failed to designate a new MPA, despite clear science and proposals that conservation groups say are ready to adopt. With climate change accelerating and fishing pressure concentrating, another year of inaction leaves the Southern Ocean ecosystem increasingly vulnerable.

Members of CCAMLR meet every October to discuss the protection and management of Antarctica’s Southern Ocean. Decisions require consensus, meaning a single objecting Member can block a proposal. As a result of this system, many important measures have languished for decades.

This year, much of the discussion focused on the Antarctic Peninsula MPA, championed by Argentina and Chile throughout the meeting, with many delegations working alongside them to build support and find common ground. China also introduced a new MPA proposal this year, in East Antarctica.

Although consensus was not reached in the Antarctic Peninsula, many Members agreed to take part in an inter-sessional process to carry the momentum forward. Key Members also agreed to hold an inter-sessional meeting to advance negotiations on the Antarctic Peninsula MPA and a revised krill fishery management regime, for adoption at CCAMLR-46.

“Argentina and Chile once again demonstrated strong leadership at this year’s CCAMLR meeting in Hobart, advancing the Antarctic Peninsula Marine Protected Area proposal, with firm support from Brazil and Uruguay,” said Rodolfo Werner, Agenda Antartica, co-founder and senior advisor. “Although consensus was not reached, an important step forward was achieved, placing us in a much stronger position to secure agreement on the establishment of the Antarctic Peninsula MPA in the near future.”

Other commentators and attendees of the Convention were less optimistic in their assessment of this year’s discussion. Among them are those at Antarctica2030, a global movement uniting leaders to champion the protection of the Southern Ocean. 

José Maria Figueres, Chair of Antarctica2030 and former President of Costa Rica, said: “Antarctica has a long history of successful international cooperation. The science is clear, the proposals are ready, and the political support is within reach. The health of the planet depends on conserving Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, so CCAMLR must persist in its efforts to achieve consensus. It is CCAMLR’s responsibility to protect the Southern Ocean. The world cannot wait.”

In 2009, CCAMLR became the first international body to commit to a representative system of MPAs across an entire ocean region. Seventeen years later, only two have been established, with five more proposed.

The scientific case for both conservation and an international mandate for ocean protection is stronger than ever, while the need for multilateral cooperation is more urgent than it has ever been. New protected areas for the Antarctic Peninsula, East Antarctica and the Weddell Sea would safeguard millions of square kilometres of critical habitat, from krill nurseries to whale feeding grounds. They would also make one of the single largest contributions to the global goal of protecting 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030.

Monica Medina, Antarctica2030 Champion and former US Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, said: “With the first COP of the High Seas Treaty just months away, the tide is turning on ocean conservation. Some may think that the ocean is too big to fail; it is not. CCAMLR must catch up on its commitment. Now is the time for the Commission to redouble its efforts to regain its role as a conservation pioneer. With a network of Southern Ocean MPAs awaiting adoption, this is the moment to forge ahead with diplomacy and courage.”

Campaigners are urging leaders to use the coming year to reset negotiations at the highest political level, so that CCAMLR-46 delivers on its commitment to a representative system of MPAs, beginning with the Antarctic Peninsula, alongside a revised krill fishery management agreement that protects wildlife from concentrated fishing.

Steven Guilbeault, Antarctica2030 Champion and Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change from 2021-2025, said: “In Montreal in 2022, nearly 200 countries promised to protect 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030. We cannot keep that promise without the high seas, and in the Southern Ocean, the proposals are ready. 

“What happens around Antarctica affects all of us, from regulating the world’s climate to distributing nutrients across the global ocean. Antarctica should not have to wait for another year. While many countries worked hard to get a deal this year, all Members must come together at the highest political level to ensure agreement on protecting the Antarctic Peninsula when CCAMLR meets again next year.”

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