OFF LIMITS: Australia has created the world’s largest network of marine reserves and will restrict fishing as well as oil and gas exploration in a major step to safeguard the environment and access to food.
WIDE EXPANSE: Australia will protect 3.1 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles) of ocean. The reserves will encompass a third of its territorial waters, which sustain more than 4,000 species of fish.
SENSITIVE ENVIRONMENTS: The Coral Sea off Australia’s northeast coast and the adjoining Great Barrier Reef will be protected from oil and gas exploration. Both areas have shallow reefs that support tropical ecosystems.
