BirdLife International has presented a proposal to create a new Marine Protected Area (MPA) under OSPAR, the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic. If accepted by OSPAR, the MPA will be the first of its kind to be identified using seabird data as the principle data source, and will fill an important gap in the global network of protected areas.

BirdLife International worked in collaboration with marine scientists around the Atlantic, with additional guidance from German BirdLife Partner NABU (Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union), to identify the proposed MPA, named Evlanov Seamount and Basin High Seas. If accepted, this site, which falls outside the jurisdiction of any country, will offer protection to one the most important sites for seabirds in the high seas of the North-East Atlantic.

OSPAR is the mechanism by which 15 governments and the European Union cooperate to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. The 15 governments are: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

The aim of the Evlanov Seamount and Basin High Seas MPA is to protect an area of the North Atlantic that is not only vital for many seabird species, but also for other marine megafauna such as tunas, sharks, whales and sea-turtles, by maintaining the natural richness and resilience of this pelagic ecosystem.

Bruna Campos, EU Marine and Fisheries Policy Officer: "The scientific analysis clearly shows that this area is extremely important for seabirds. Governments need to now step up their game and decide whether we want to protect the marine environment or waste it away in political filibusters."

Marguerite Tarzia, European Marine Conservation Officer: "We worked with more than 60 marine scientists to make this proposal a reality and we are confident that the extensive research and collaboration has ensured the rigorous scientific analysis that we are putting forward."

Ana Carneiro, Marine Technical Officer at BirdLife International: "We estimate that more than two million seabirds use the area every year, including some long distance migrants such as the Arctic Tern and the threatened Atlantic Puffin."

The proposed MPA will now be examined by OSPAR. ENDS

For further information, please contact:

Bruna Campos, EU Marine and Fisheries Policy Officer, BirdLife Europe

Bruna.Campos@birdlife.org

Office: +32 (0)2 280 08 30 Mobile: + 32 478 88 6420

Marguerite Tarzia, European Marine Conservation Officer, BirdLife Europe

Marguerite.Tarzia@birdlife.org

Office: +44 (01223 7) 47587

Notes:

BirdLife International is the world's largest nature conservation partnership. Together we are 120 BirdLife Partners worldwide – one per country or territory – and growing. We are driven by our belief that local people, working for nature in their own places but connected nationally and internationally through our global Partnership, are the key to sustaining all life on this planet. This unique local-to-global approach delivers high impact and long-term conservation for the benefit of nature and people. http://www.birdlife.org

OSPAR Commission: http://www.ospar.org/
Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica