The UN is reviewing the laws governing the handling of seas around the world. In connection with this, a number of researchers in an article suggest that protection zones should be introduced that change as species move.
- Of course, animals do not stay in one place, many of them use large parts of the seas. And those areas can move in time and space, says Sara Maxwell, who researches on marine animal migration at the University of Washington Bothell and is the lead author of the article.
Better technology todayMagnus Nyström, marine researcher at Stockholm Resilience Center, thinks these ideas are "very exciting".
- They raise a problem that is often discussed but not arranged. Maybe this article can take off.
The idea of mobile nature reserves has existed before but so far has not succeeded. But one thing that speaks to the idea today is that our technology has improved. Magnus Nyström mentions how to microchip animals to monitor their migration in real time with satellite monitoring and how we can handle huge amounts of data.
- 20 years ago it was a utopia.
But if the conservation area follows a bird back and forth, what happens when the bird is not there? Isn't there a risk that the bird will return to a forest that is devastated?
- It's a very important point. But this is a complement to permanent reserves.
Who would check that this is being followed?
- The sea is messy. I usually call it "the last wild west". But there are globally implied certain rules. The UN UNCLOSS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) is the major convention for the world oceans that seek to create order. Then of course it is also up to each of the countries, says Magnus Nyström.
The article was published in the journal Science.