Azores create largest marine protected area in North Atlantic

By Patricia Vicente Rua

LISBON (Reuters) - The regional assembly of Portugal's Azores Islands approved the creation of the largest protected marine area in the North Atlantic to reach international conservation goals well ahead of time.

The approval late on Thursday places the archipelago at the forefront of global ocean conservation that aims to achieve the goals set by the United Nations of protecting 30% of the Earth's land and sea by 2030 under a global pact adopted last year.

The network will encompass almost 300,000 square kilometres (115,830 square miles) and ensures the preservation of underwater mountain ranges and vulnerable marine ecosystems, including deep-sea corals, hydrothermal vents and marine species.

"We have acted in advance of the international conservation goals for 2030 with the creation of the largest marine park in the North Atlantic, with fully protected areas and highly protected areas," Bernardo Brito e Abreu, adviser to the Azorean government on maritime affairs told Reuters on Friday.

He explained that half of the network would be designated as a fully protected area, which means fishing activities are not allowed. In the other half, designated as a highly protected area, only very selective fishing will be allowed.

The nine-island archipelago is an autonomous region roughly 1,500 km (932 miles) west of mainland Portugal and home to unique marine biodiversity.

The Azores government chief Jose Manuel Bolieiro said the region was leading by example at national, European and international levels in the management and protection of its waters and "making a significant contribution to Portugal meeting the international targets for the decade".

(This story has been corrected to remove the reference to 'sea tourism' in paragraph 5)

(Reporting by Patrícia Vicente Rua; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Bill Berkrot)