Weddell Sea MPA Proposal - Status 2023

Once again, a draft conservation measure for an MPA in the Weddell Sea (WSMPA Phase 1) has been submitted to the 42nd CAMLR Commission Meeting by the EU and its Member States, Norway, Uruguay, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the USA, Republic of Korea, India, Ukraine and Chile. The CAMLR Commission Meeting was held in Hobart, Australia, from 16 to 27 October 2023. As expected, the WSMPA Phase 1 proposal again failed due to opposition from Russia and China, thus did not find unanimity among CCAMLR Member States and consequently was not adopted. However, Chile could be won as a further member state for the WSMPA Phase 1 proposal, which now also supports the proposal as a co-sponsor.