Australia moved Tuesday to protect a swathe of ocean territory by expanding an Antarctic marine park that is home to penguins, seals, whales and the country’s only two active volcanos.
The marine reserve — Heard Island and McDonald Island — located 1,700 kilometres (1,056 miles) from Antarctica, will quadruple in size under the announcement.
This means 52 percent of the nation’s seas will be protected, a government statement said, cementing Australia’s place among leading countries safeguarding seas.
It will also see Australia blitz the global 30 percent United Nations target by 2030 that Australia signed up to in 2022.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the announcement was a “huge environmental win”.
“This is a unique and extraordinary part of our planet. We are doing everything we can to protect it,” she said.
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