Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Threatened Sargasso Sea Ecosystem Earns Protections
http://www.livescience.com/44106-sargasso-sea-protected.html
?1324347509
Governments of several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Bermuda, the Azores and Monaco, have signed a declaration to protect the Sargasso Sea, according to a report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
"This is a truly historic occasion," David Freestone, executive director of the Sargasso Sea Alliance, said in a statement. "It is the first time an international alliance has been formed to protect an iconic high seas ecosystem, using existing legal international frameworks," Freestone said.
The "Hamilton Declaration on Collaboration for the Conservation of the Sargasso Sea" seeks to protect the area, whose abundant floating Sargassum seaweeds shield around 30 species of fish, as well as whales, dolphins and turtles, according to the IUCN report.
The Sargasso Sea is a calm patch of the North Atlantic Ocean isolated by ocean currents. The currents bring in algae and marine debris that help create and sustain the area's characteristic seaweed layer.