Predators on track for ocean protection around Antarctica

Sequeira, Ana M. M.

doi:10.1038/d41586-020-00640-1

NEWS AND VIEWS
18 March 2020

Predators on track for ocean protection around Antarctica

Satellite tracking of marine predators in the Southern Ocean has revealed key ecological areas under disproportionate pressure from human activities. These results show the value of tracking data for informing conservation efforts.

Ana M. M. Sequeira⁰

Ana M. M. Sequeira
1. Ana M. M. Sequeira is at the Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
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Even the most remote marine ecosystems on Earth — such as those at high latitudes, including in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica — can no longer be considered pristine¹. The effects of humans on marine ecosystems now have a global footprint²^–⁴, and mitigation of associated threats requires knowledge of the areas of particular ecological and biological significance. Such areas sustain the healthy functioning of marine ecosystems and should therefore be protected. Writing in Nature, Hindell et al.⁵ report analyses of tracking data for marine species that reveal these key areas in the Southern Ocean.

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Nature 580, 34-35 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00640-1

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