New study identifies the South Pacific's Salas y Gomez and Nazca ridges as a conservation priority

Article 27 Oct, 2021

New study identifies the South Pacific's Salas y Gomez and Nazca ridges as a conservation priority

Kristina Gjerde, ��ϲʿ��ֳ�ֱ��'s Senior High Seas Advisor, is among the co-authors of a chapter in GIS for Science Volume 3 – Maps for Saving the Planet that identifies the Salas y Gomez and Nazca ridges, off the west coast of South America, as one of the most promising places to establish a marine protected area on the high seas.

Photo: Aqqa Rosing-Asvid (CC BY 2.0)

Based on an array of global datasets and GIS analyses, highlights the unique combination of natural and cultural resources that make this area a key location to conserve and protect marine biodiversity. Indeed, its many seamounts and migration corridors are home to a high number of endemic species found nowhere else on Earth. As 73% of its area is found in the unprotected high seas domain beyond national jurisdiction, the , who commissioned the study, are calling for urgent protection measures before human pressures take their toll and the area's rich marine resources are lost forever.

LINKS:

��ϲʿ��ֳ�ֱ��

PRIORITIES