Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Environmentalists urge Britain to turn Pitcairn waters into protected area

Posted at 22:36 on 28 November, 2012 UTC

Environmentalists are urging Britain to turn the waters around the territory of Pitcairn Island into one of the world’s largest protected areas for marine wildlife.

The Pew Environment Group took part in a recent expedition to Pitcairn.

It says the British government has a unique opportunity to protect one of the most pristine ocean environments left on the planet.

The group has put forward a plan for a reserve that covers more than eight hundred thousand square kilometres of ocean. Limited commercial fishing would still be allowed.

The managing director of the Pew Environment Group, Josh Reichert, says it’s one of the few places in the world’s oceans that remained relatively untouched by what he calls humanity’s relentless quest for fish.