MPAs in the Southern Ocean under CCAMLR: Implementing SDG 14.5

Abstract

In 2016 the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) designated the largest marine protected area (MPA) in the Ross Sea. Hailed as both a precedent and a prototype for MPAs in both Antarctica and in areas beyond national jurisdiction more generally, it has nevertheless proving challenging to implement. Moreover, further MPAs have yet to be designated in the region although a number are under negotiation. This paper will evaluate the contribution made by CCAMLR to the implementation of SDG 14.5 (the conservation of at least 20 percent of marine and coastal areas by 2020), its relationship to area-based protection under the 1991 Environmental Protocol, and highlight the challenges of establishing MPAs beyond the jurisdiction of states.