The countries that decide the fate of Antarctica have reached a historic agreement to create the world’s largest marine protected area in the ocean next to the frozen continent.The agreement comes after years of diplomatic wrangling and high-level talks between the U.S. and Russia, which had rejected the idea in the past.Proponents of the reserve say it sets a precedent for multiple countries working together to protect a large swath of ocean, which falls outside any single nation’s jurisdiction.The agreement covers an area about twice the size of Texas in the Ross Sea.The agreement will take effect from December 2017 and, for most of the reserve, will last an initial 35 years.
The world’s largest marine reserve in Antarctica
