Progress for Marine Sanctuaries
September 16, 2016
9/16/16 – An idea explored years ago in Issues—establishing marine protected areas to help protect ocean biodiversity—has resurfaced on several fronts. On September 15, President Obama designated the first fully protected area in the Atlantic Ocean, designating nearly 5,000 square miles off the coast of Massachusetts as a marine national monument. And just a few days earlier, an international conservation group proposed an even loftier vision, calling on world leaders to set aside one-third of all oceans as marine reserves.