Antarctic Sea reserve cut linked to US-Russia tensions

Officials from the United States and New Zealand presented a new proposal on 11 September 2013 for the creation of a system of marine protected areas in Antarctica initially put forward by the European Union. This was a direct response to Russia challenging the European Union's proposal in July 2013 at a meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in Bremerhaven, Germany.

Some analysts believed that the proposed reserve, which would cover the most pristine and fragile ecosystem left on earth, has fallen victim to bilateral tensions, centred on Syria and Iran.

European Commission: DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries: EU to push for establishment of Marine Protected Areas in Antarctica http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/mare/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=11373&subweb=347&lang=en

---