POLAR POLITICS: Exclusive: China proposes its own Antarctic marine protected area – in a Soviet-named sea

China has proposed its own Antarctic marine protected area (MPA) in the East Antarctic "Cosmonauts Sea," located in a region originally named by the Soviet Union. The proposed 127,000 square kilometer MPA would allow commercial krill fishing during specific periods each year and would expire after 20 years unless reaffirmed by the commission. This proposal comes with conditions and seeks changes to the rules governing marine protection across the Southern Ocean.

The Chinese delegation's documents, which have been reviewed by Daily Maverick, outline Beijing's plans for the new MPA and proposed changes to the Southern Ocean's marine park rulebook. Despite its protected status, the Cosmonauts Sea proposal would permit commercial krill fishing for varying durations, aiming to protect feeding areas for Adélie penguins, whales, and seabirds, as well as conserve krill critical to these predators.

China's proposal to rewrite the rules includes a new definition of an MPA as a geographically defined area established "by regulating harvesting and associated activities," with a focus on "rational use" - the term employed by the commission to describe sustainably harvested marine living resources. The proposed changes to the commission's MPA rulebook, tracked in draft form, strike out existing purposes related to the protection of features critical to local ecosystems and resilience to climate change effects, potentially raising the bar for supporting information for future MPA proposals.