CANBERRA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The plan of creating the world's largest marine protected area (MPA) to protect Antarctica's Ross Sea ecosystem has failed, as the 25-member Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) concluded in Hobart.
The 25-member Commission for CCAMLR met in Hobart this week to decide which of the seas around the frozen continent would become a MPA.
New Zealand and the United States had tabled a proposal for an MPA of 2.27 million square kilometres, which includes setting up a "special research zone" where "light" fishing and tagging would be allowed.
At the close of the meeting on Thursday evening, the members failed to agree to the proposal. However, the CCAMLR has agreed to hold an meeting in Germany in July next year.
"CCAMLR members failed to establish any large-scale Antarctic marine protection at this meeting because a number of countries actively blocked conservation efforts," spokesman Steve Campbell said.
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