The creation of the D. Carlos Marine Nature Reserve, which will be the largest marine protected area in Portugal as it covers the Madeira-Tore and Gorringe Bank seamounts, entered public consultation today.
The future D. Carlos Marine Nature Reserve has an area of 173,000 square kilometres and “will lead Portugal to reach 25% of marine protected area under national sovereignty,” says a joint statement from the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Agriculture and Sea, adding that “the technical and scientific conditions are met to move forward with the process to protect biodiversity and contribute to a more sustainable management of the ocean.” The public consultation will run until the 6th of March.Â
The Government explained the classification process and the entities involved, noting that the reserve’s name honours D. Carlos, known as the “founder of oceanography in Portugal,” for his groundbreaking deep-sea research. Between 1896 and 1904, King D. Carlos led twelve scientific expeditions that identified species, mapped the seabed, and studied ocean currents. Naming this marine protected area after him celebrates his legacy and underscores the country’s dedication to ocean conservation.
With an area almost twice the size of Portugal, the D. Carlos reserve will be one of the largest marine protected areas in the European Union, “reinforcing the national ambition to meet the goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.”
The protection of 30% of the ocean (and the same amount on land) is provided for in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, approved in 2022 in Canada, under the Convention on Biological Diversity. It is also under the European Union’s Biodiversity Strategy.
Moreover, the protection and classification of the Gorringe Bank as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) will be reinforced through the approval of the Management Plan, which is also now subject to public consultation, with measures to improve its ecological status and reduce pressures on marine resources.
According to the statement, the new marine reserve includes some of the most relevant mountains and submarine banks in the Northeast Atlantic, also including Mount Josephine, Mount Seine, the Coral Patch Bank, and Mount Ampère, recognised for their high productivity and importance for vulnerable, migratory species of high ecological value.
Within the protected area, there are also ecosystems “of great ecological value and highly vulnerable”, such as cold-water coral reefs, gorgonian gardens, aggregations of deep-sea sponges, crinoid fields, benthic communities rich in endemism and areas of high productivity that function as areas for feeding, reproduction and aggregation of various species, explains the Government.
The Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, said, quoted in the statement, that the reserve “represents a historic milestone for ocean conservation policy in Portugal. We are protecting unique ecosystems of enormous ecological and scientific value, reinforcing our commitment to the protection of marine biodiversity, to science and to future generations.”
Also quoted in the statement, the Minister of Agriculture and Sea, José Manuel Fernandes, said that the protected area will have a positive impact on the health of ecosystems and, in the medium term, on the productivity of fisheries resources.
“By protecting seamounts that function as true ‘maternity hospitals’ in the ocean, we guarantee better conditions for the sustainability of fisheries and for the enhancement of the economy of the sea,” he said. The Government notes that the protection regime safeguards fisheries that operate with artisanal, selective and low environmental impact fishing gear.
The Regional Secretary for Tourism, Environment and Culture of Madeira, AntĂłnio Eduardo de Freitas Jesus, said that the proposal safeguards fishing activities, “ensuring that the protection of marine ecosystems is compatible with the sustainability of fishing communities and the Portuguese blue economy.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
Photo: DN
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