North Atlantics Largest Marine Protected Area Created by Portugals Azores Islands [Video]

The regional assembly of the Azores Islands — a nine-island archipelago in Portugal — has approved the North Atlantic’s largest marine protected area.

Its creation will allow Portugal to meet the United Nations goal of safeguarding 30 percent of the planet’s land and sea by the end of the decade.

“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, maritime affairs adviser to the Azorean government, told Reuters.

The new marine sanctuary will encompass nearly 115,830 square miles, providing protection for its vast and unique biodiversity — including deep-sea corals and hydrothermal vents.

“We are more sea than land and have influence in the maritime dimension that we are in the decision-making of our country, the European Union and the world,” said José Manuel Bolieiro, regional …