Marine reserves are areas in the sea that are legally protected against fishing and development. It is not quite the same as a marine park, although on the whole marine parks are also marine reserves. There are currently

no high sea marine reserves however Greenpeace is currently trying to get the donut holes that are found in the Western Pacific Ocean to be known as marine reserves. Of course, if it was up to Greenpeace, 40% of the oceans would be classed this way so we shall have to wait and see what happens.

Famous Marine Reserves There are some very prominent marine reserves in the world that you should definitely check out if you get the chance. These include:

• The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. This is the world’s largest marine park and part of it is also a marine reserve.
• The Australian Whale Sanctuary is a full-fledged marine reserve.
• The Shark Bay Marine Park where parts are also a marine reserve.
• Chagos Marine Reserve. This is the largest marine reserve in the world and is classed as “no take”.

**The Chagos Marine Reserve**** The Chagos Archipelago is a group of seven atolls. Between them, they have more than sixty tropical islands. The archipelago is in the Indian Ocean, just south of the archipelago of the Maldives. Together with the Maldives and the Lashadweep, they form a terrestrial eco-region. Their environment preservation and protection zone – making it a marine reserve – is 544,000 square kilometres big. This equates to 210,000 square mi­les.

Conservation Efforts of the Chagos Marine Reserve The Chagos have the world’s largest coral atoll and more than half of all the good quality reefs that are found in the Indian Ocean can be found here. Interestingly, the eco systems in the Chagos have been resilient to both environmental disruptions and climate change and it is now classed as the world’s largest marine reserve. The size of the Chagos is effectively bigger than France or California. The area should still be protected until around 2015, at which point the status will be reviewed.

However, there has been a lot of discussion about this area. Since it is a marine reserve, it is impossible for anything to be constructed. A Wikileaks document has suggested that the area has only been called as a marine reserve in order to prevent the native population from the Chagos – the Chagossians – to return to their native home.

Because it is a protected area, the Chagos is one of the only areas in the world where you can witness what happens without any human impact. This makes it very interesting for scientists trying to determine the effect humans have on nature, as well as being able to see developments in marine life and its response to climate change.

Why Are Marine Reserves Important? There are many reasons why marine reserves are so important. Firstly, of course, it allows nature to once again take its course, providing a safety area for animals of different species to go to. Secondly, it provides scientists with a great opportunity to determine how much an effect we as humans have on marine life. An area that is completely untouched should, if the rumours are right, be completely thriving, whereas other comparable areas where humans are allowed to dive, sail and fish should be starting to die.

The Difference between Marine Reserves and Marine Parks It is important to recognise the difference between marine reserves and marine parks. Generally, a marine reserve will first have been a marine park, meaning it is an area of outstanding natural beauty that needs protection from human influence. However, marine reserves are not accessible to humans at all. That means no diving, no snorkelling, no water sports, no sailing, no nothing.

Places like the Great Barrier Reef, for example, are slowly dying because of the influence of humans. In order to restore them to its former glory, some areas have now been declared marine reserves rather than marine parks. Generally, an area is given the marine reserve status for five years, after which a review will take place to determine whether it needs to retain that status or whether it can be downgraded to a marine park.

Currently, a large area of the Great Barrier Reef is a marine reserve and it is expected that more and more parts will be added to this every year. However, all being well, the marine reserve parts of the reef will once again be open to the public as marine parks once the coral and marine life has been restored. Hence, it becomes a kind of cycle, whereby certain areas are open and others are not.