Source: BBC News
Author: Richard Black
Little has been done to protect marine life since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, conservation scientists conclude. On pledges to protect key habitat and restrict the size of fishing fleets, they say progress has been “pitiful”. Their analysis is carried in the journal Science and is being discussed during final preparations for the Rio+20 summit, which opens next week.
Conservationists were delighted by Australia’s move to set up the world’s largest network of marine reserves. But globally, the picture is bleak, they say.
“Our analysis shows that almost every commitment made by governments to protect the oceans has not been achieved,” said Jonathan Baillie, director of conservation at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
“If these international processes are to be taken seriously, governments must be held accountable and any future commitments must come with clear plans for implementation and a process to evaluate success or failure.”
For more, go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18447516