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| Plans released by the Australian government to create the largest marine reserve in the world |
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Australia
says it will create the world's largest network of marine parks ahead of the
Rio+20 summit.
The
reserves will cover 3.1 million sq km of ocean, including the Coral Sea.
Restrictions
will be placed on fishing and oil and gas exploration in the protected zone
covering more than a third of Australia's waters.
Environment
Minister Tony Burke, who made the announcement, will attend the earth summit in
Brazil next week with Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
"It's
time for the world to turn a corner on protection of our oceans," Mr Burke
said. "And Australia today is leading that next step."
Australia
has timed its announcement to coincide with the run-up to the Rio+20 Earth
Summit - a global gathering of leaders from more than 130 nations to discuss
protecting key parts of the environment, including the ocean, says the BBC's
Duncan Kennedy.
The plans,
which have been years in the making, will proceed after a final consultation
process.
Ocean parks
Last year,
the Australian government announced plans to protect the marine life in the
Coral Sea - an area of nearly 1 million sq km.
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| The Coral Sea is home to diverse wildlife, including sharks and tuna |
The sea -
off the Queensland coast in northeastern Australia - is home to sharks and
tuna, isolated tropical reefs and deep sea canyons. It is also the resting
place of three US navy ships sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942.
The network
of marine reserve will also include the Great Barrier Reef, a Unesco World
Heritage site.
The plan
will see the numbers of marine reserves off the Australian coast increased from
27 to 60.
"What
we've done is effectively create a national parks estate in the ocean,'' Mr
Burke told Australian media.
However,
activists and environmental protection groups are likely to be less than
satisfied with the plans, having called for a complete ban on commercial
fishing in the Coral Sea.
The fishing
industry is set to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation,
reports say.
Some have
also noted that oil and gas exploration continue to be allowed near some
protected areas, particularly off western Australia.
The
Australian Conservation Foundation said that although the plan didn't go as far
as they would like, it was a major achievement in terms of ocean conservation.
Currently
the world's largest marine reserve is a 545,000-sq-km area established by the
UK around the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.
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