Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2013): 411-84. 0000002434 00000 n 0000017851 00000 n remote areas such as the South Sandwich Islands, comes with prohibitive costs for those seeking to police

The UK is in a privileged position to make a globally significant contribution to marine protection via the reclassification of the South Sandwich Islands to a fully-protected MPA. 0000001228 00000 n The current MPA encompasses 1.07 million square kilometres of the SGSSI exclusive economic zone (EEZ). would provide invaluable information on the impact here, as well as in the broader region under the established a sustainable use marine protected area (MPA) around these largely uninhabited islands to Among the factors that have contributed to this The South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Areas Order came into force in February The Pew Charitable Trusts, “Project Eyes on the Seas,” last updated March 16, 2015. The UK and other governments have engaged Satellite Applications Catapult’s business unit OceanMind Most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous. Gilles Boeuf, “Ocean, Biodiversity, and Climate,” last updated 2016. 0000003355 00000 n Shackleton sometimes misspells the island's name as "Sanders Island" in his book South. To preserve it, full Credit: Jim Wilson. southern giant petrels breed on these islands.2 In addition, there is evidence that the South Sandwich Islands

Large, fully protected MPAs are a key tool for addressing these challenges, just as national parks protect Penguins, Saunders Island, South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica, Polar Regions. 0000043916 00000 n

0000071578 00000 n

climate impacts, the UK and local government should agree to reclassify the South Sandwich Islands as a Marine reserves safeguard ocean areas from large-scale industrial fishing, Full protection would safeguard the marine environment before climate and other threats take their toll. We believe that UK leadership on the South Sandwich Islands could build momentum for further protection and sustainable management of resources around Antarctica in the Weddell Sea, East Antarctica, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Key features and biological highlights of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

By clicking any link on this page you are giving your consent for us to set cookies. A journey to the bottom of the Earth to explore an ecosystem worthy of protection.

Protecting the South Sandwich Islands marine environment To the west, the South Sandwich Trench is one of the deepest points on the planet. status are the lack of a natural harbour, rough seas, high levels of ice, and volcanic activity. Study shows benefits extend beyond sea life to communities on land. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) sit about 4,000 kilometres north of Antarctica and 2,700 kilometres east of South America in the South Atlantic Ocean. The South Sandwich Islands are a global biological hotspot for threatened penguins and other seabirds. The islands host nearly half of the world’s chinstrap penguin population (1.3 million breeding pairs), The Great British Oceans coalition believes that active management of MPAs, including monitoring, surveillance and enforcement alongside scientific and biodiversity assessment are crucial to ensure that such designations deliver their conservation objectives. For example, they host the world’s largest chinstrap penguin colony (1.5 million breeding pairs, based on.

been active in the past century.

Protecting these important habitats will allow wildlife to continue to thrive and ensure species are not lost before they have even been discovered. 0000047910 00000 n 0000001802 00000 n The South Sandwich Islands are an arc of 11 small Sign up for the best of our conservation research every two weeks—stunning photos, conservation wins, and action alerts. To search all cruise itineraries (not just South Georgia / South Sandwich Islands), please visit: Cruise Search or try our Virtual Cruise Advisor™.

0000001780 00000 n Michael is an active stratovolcano on Saunders Island in the South Sandwich Islands; a remote, oceanic island arc in the southern Atlantic Ocean, bordering the Southern Ocean. Only in recent A brown skua peers into a camera on Saunders Island in the South Sandwich Islands. Overwhelming scientific evidence exists detailing both the declining health of the world’s oceans and the importance of large scale marine reserves in both slowing this decline and future-proofing near-pristine areas. The ZSL uses cookies on this website to enhance your user experience

Proposed no-take marine protected area around the South Sandwich Islands. 62 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 64 /H [ 1323 479 ] /L 340802 /E 72469 /N 8 /T 339444 >> endobj xref 62 44 0000000016 00000 n The UK Government can fully protect this outstanding area within existing domestic legislation – enabling them to meet, This proposal will provide an important complement to the well managed, Large, fully protected marine reserves, when implemented effectively, are increasingly considered, The South Sandwich Islands have been identified as an important habitat for Antarctic marine predators including seabirds and cetaceans. Gray et al. A number of Great British Ocean member organisations are working within the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) toward achieving a network of MPAs and a more sustainable distribution of krill quota in 2021. 0000050369 00000 n To date, however, less than 2 percent of the The South Sandwich Islands on the other hand are isolated and are not often visited other than by survey ships on scientific excursions. standards of ecosystem-based management. Rear view of king penguins at South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The South Sandwich Islands are near pristine and are home to some of the world’s most significant wildlife Global Ocean Commission, “From Decline to Recovery: A Rescue Package for the Global Ocean,” last updated June 24, 2014. 4 million square kilometres of ocean (an area greater than the landmass of India) across six sites: British

However, in 2015, a partnership between the UK government’s Satellite Applications Catapult H�b```f``�f`c`�� Ȁ ��@Q�) more than 90 percent of the excess heat resulting from human activities, providing a buffer against the full Evidence for a lava lake on Mt. environmental flux. manage the local fishery and protect the globally significant wildlife.

King penguins walk along the shoreline at sunrise at Gold Harbour. temperatures and increased acidity are already affecting the distribution and abundance of marine life Saunders Island is part of a remote volcanic chain known as the South Sandwich Islands. extraction of natural resources, and other destructive activities. Eight of the volcanic cones have whaling and seal fur industries in the early 20th century. Currently, fishing is limited around the South Sandwich Islands and accounts for less than 5 percent 0000047053 00000 n

King penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus, walk along the shore of Salisbury Plain. understanding of the long-term effect of these changes on the biodiversity of the wider Antarctic region. In making these commitments, it has partnered with the communities and governments

High resolution satellite images confirmed the existence of the lake on Mount Michael, an active volcano on Saunders Island in the South Sandwich Islands. The 6 (2016): 398-404.

�;�r�z�&����aM Ö�cfh��ʢ36�\Y92�+L����n���:���|�ݐ�yDх��K���#�P�J��u��W= ��i��9|Δ�Y �mNR���Q�&�=U�V>�(y fSZZ�fqqi z��"��� its overarching objectives: to protect the area’s globally significant biodiversity and ecosystems from harmful Its 0000044368 00000 n A humpback whale off the South Sandwich Islands. Support for that claim was spread across numerous disparate studies—until now. The Great British Oceans coalition publicly recognises the high standards to which the South Georgia fisheries to the north operate. surveillance to be carried out remotely.6. 0000001323 00000 n of remote and inhospitable islands. Copyright © 1996-2020 The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Graham J. Edgar et al., “Global Conservation Outcomes Depend on Marine Protected Areas with Five Key Features,” Nature 506, no. status would also support critical scientific analysis of the impact of climate changes in these waters, as well With all extractive activities prohibited, this sanctuary would serve as an important zone for scientific monitoring and assessment. In recent years, leading marine scientists have said that protecting large areas of the sea as oceanic reserves carries the added benefit of helping ocean life weather the impacts of climate change. would be a cost-effective approach to safeguarding one of the few remaining near-pristine marine Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public, and invigorate civic life. the region. There are several reasons why the Great British Oceans coalition supports full protection of the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean: The South Sandwich Islands marine environment is an area over twice the size of the UK, 529,000 km2. Finds a Robust Seabird Community,” Polar Biology 39, no. flag of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands painted on brick wall.

Still, scientists have very limited knowledge about the South Sandwich Islands, especially with respect to bird

Credit: Jim Wilson, Some 50,000 pairs of chinstrap penguins make their home on this active volcano on Saunders Island in South Sandwich Islands.

Pörtner et al., “Ocean Systems,” Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. have not experienced the significant declines reported for some penguin species on South Georgia, in the

The Great British Oceans proposal has the backing of prominent UK scientists and 283 MPs across the political spectrum, who have signed a Blue Belt Charter asking for full protection of the waters surrounding the South Sandwich Islands. 0000002218 00000 n That means Zavodovski and Visokoi, the farthest north, are often ice-free year round, while that the MPA review to focus on the waters around South Georgia, where complex interactions among climate 0000048833 00000 n

It is a global biodiversity hotspot worthy of protection. OceanMind also uses the technology to help retailers ensure that the products they sell are research stations on South Georgia. ones and sits about 4,000 kilometres north of Antarctica and 2,700 kilometres east of South America. the South Sandwich Islands as Potential Large-Scale Antarctic Protected Areas,” Advances in Marine Biology, vol. trailer << /Size 106 /Info 59 0 R /Root 63 0 R /Prev 339434 /ID[<5175d30186900e80bd6ff71a970decd1>] >> startxref 0 %%EOF 63 0 obj << /PageMode /UseThumbs /Type /Catalog /Pages 60 0 R /Metadata 61 0 R >> endobj 104 0 obj << /S 271 /T 396 /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 105 0 R >> stream Montagu Island and the South Sandwich Islands The South Sandwich Islands lie between approximately 56 and 60 S latitude, and 25 and 30 W longitude, at the eastern extremity of the Scotia Sea, approximately 2,000 km south-east of the Falkland Islands and about the same distance north of the Antarctic continent (Fig. Over the last decade, the UK has led the world in its commitment to establish large-scale, fully protected H���kT������ �F�nDEE��f�(QF@/�/�@X���被�茣\Td@Q��� Credit: Jim Wilson.