The Azores, an self-governing Portuguese archipelago, hasactually authorized legislation to develop the biggest marine secured location network in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Spread throughout 287,000 square kilometers (about 110,800 square miles), the brand-new marine safeguarded location network covers 30% of the ocean surrounding the islandchain. Half of the MPA network is “fully safeguarded,” while the other half is “highly secured.”
In the “fully secured” parts of the network, extractive or devastating activities like fishing are not permitted, while activities such as diving, swimming and marine tourist are controlled, stated Luis Bernardo Brito e Abreu, consultant to the president of the Azores federalgovernment.
In the “highly safeguarded” half, “only activities with low overall effect,” such as pole and line fishing, are permitted, Brito e Abreu informed Mongabay through e-mail. “The objective was to takefulladvantageof preservation efforts, decrease the effect on fishing, and develop chances for financial development through tourist and other blue economy sectors.”
To develop the MPA network, scientists from different regional and worldwide companies performed clinical explorations in 2016 and2018 They mapped 21,469 km² (8,289 mi²) of the seafloor surrounding the Azores, Alan Friedlander, senior marine researcher at National Geographic’s Pristine Seas effort, which gotinvolved in the explorations, informed Mongabay.
The mapping exposed special geolog