Pledged $20 billion for marine conservation

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The US government alone pledged nearly $6 billion for 77 projects, the statement said at the end of the two-day meeting on Saturday night (local time). US special envoy for climate issues, John Kerry, announced investments in marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries and renewable energy sources, among other things.

For its part, the EU wants to increase spending on the world’s oceans to €816.5 million by 2023. The host country, Panama, announced that it would almost double the size of its marine protected areas. In the future, more than 54 percent of the country’s exclusive economic zone will be under protection. This zone extends 200 nautical miles from the coast of a country to the sea. There, states have special rights under the law of the sea, such as exclusive fishing rights and rights to exploit natural resources.

At the international conference “Our Ocean”, representatives of governments, the private sector, organizations and civil society from 70 countries discussed how to protect the world’s oceans. The conference was first held in 2014 at the initiative of the US government. The next ocean conference will take place in Greece next year.

(SDA)

Source: Blick