Barack Obama Gives US Its First Marine Monument

In the third Our Ocean Conference in Washington DC hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry, US President Barack Obama in order to preserve deep-sea ecosystem nominated a marine national monument in Atlantic Ocean. It is the country’s first marine national museum and aims to protect 12,725 km of ecosystem that includes four underwater mountains and three underwater canyons deeper than the Grand Canyon. The preserve has been named as Northeastern Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument and is situated at 150 miles from Cape Cod in New England.

The conference focused on various issues that were related to underwater ecosystem and problems that the water bodies suffer from like marine pollution, sustainable fisheries and impact of climate change on the ocean.

While many support Obama for his initiative and are comparing him with the father of American conservation, the 26th U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt, there are some who are not contented with the same. Commercial fishing, underwater drilling and mining would soon come to an end within the monument which would largely affect those who were dependent on the fishing industry in the New England area. They have expressed their support yet asserted that, certain prohibitions would have been a much better option than an all-out ban.

Climate change is affecting the water bodies in an unfavourable way which is nothing short of “terrifying” as Obama said. The President and his administration has taken various actions for saving the environment, infact protected ocean habitats have increased by 20 times since he has been elected and taken over the office.

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Jyotsna Amla