"Russia, China Block Move For New Antarctic Marine Reserves"

"Members of a multinational group on Antarctic conservation failed to agree Friday on a roadmap for the creation of three new marine protected areas—a goal that has proven elusive for years.

"No agreement was reached. It was not possible to obtain... a road map" for protected areas in the seas around Antarctica, Cesar Cardenas, a member of the Chilean Antarctic Institute and part of the Chilean delegation, told AFP.

Cardenas said Russia and China resisted new protected areas.

The bid to create the sanctuaries around Antarctica to counter climate change and protect fragile ocean ecosystems would safeguard nearly four million more square kilometers (1.5 million more square miles) of ocean from human activities."

Pedro Schwarze reports for AFP June 24, 2023.