Re: SC18

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5086506.stm

Urgent action is needed to protect the world's oceans from human exploitation, according to conservationists.
They say over-fishing, pollution and climate change are pushing marine areas to the point of no return.

The warning comes from the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) and World Conservation Union (IUCN).

In a report launched on Friday in New York, they are calling for new marine protected areas to be set up in deep seas and open oceans.

Dr Stefan Hain from Unep said it was a crucial moment for the marine environment.

"Very often, it's the case that people go out there and fish without considering what effect this has on the fish stocks," he told BBC News.

"We know now that the environments and the eco-systems in the deep water are very fragile.

"The impact is that these stocks are being reduced at an alarming rate, and, simply, these ecosystems are not designed to cope with drastic impact by human activity."...............

Ibrahim Thiaw, acting director general of the IUCN, said well over 60% of the marine world and its rich biodiversity, found beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, was vulnerable and at increasing risk.

"Governments must urgently develop the guidelines, rules and actions needed to bridge this gulf," he said.

"Otherwise we stand to lose and to irrevocably damage unique wildlife and critical ecosystems many of which moderate our very existence on the planet."