New Zealand has unveiled plans to create a South Pacific marine sanctuary the size of France, saying it would protect one of the world?s most pristine ocean environments.

The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary would cover an area of 620,000 square kilometres about 1,000 kilometres off New Zealand?s northeast coast.

The Kermadec area is home to thousands of important species, including whales, dolphins, seabirds and endangered turtles.

It is one of the most geographically and geologically diverse areas in the world. It contains the world?s longest underwater volcanic arc and the second deepest ocean trench at 10 kilometres deep.

The sanctuary will prevent fishing and mineral exploitation in an area where scientists regularly discover new marine species.

Conservation groups applauded the move, saying it added to a network of protected areas in the Pacific that now covered more than 3.5 million square kilometres.

Scientists also applauded the decision to ban all forms of resource extraction from the marine zone, which is remote and largely unsurveyed or scientifically sampled.

As a contribution to large-scale marine conservation the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary is globally important.

The variation in the area, which spans from tropical to sub-tropical waters, means it boasts a high diversity of habitat types, including active undersea volcanoes, ridges and the Kermadec Trench itself.

Some organisms are only found in that part of the world while others, such as whales, include it in their migration routes.

New Zealand?s Environment Minister Nick Smith said oceans were the new frontier for environmental protection, making up 72 per cent of the globe and home to half of the world?s species, but with only two per cent protected despite pressures from over-fishing, mining and pollution.

Conservation efforts are underway in the Pacific to create a network of marine parks across the region to ensure one of the world?s last pristine ocean ecosystems is managed sustainably.

New Zealand said it hoped to have legislation enacted in parliament to ensure the sanctuary in place by October 2016.

Source: Gulf News

http://gulfnews.com/news/oceania/new-zealand-to-create-massive-marine-sanctuary-1.1591852