Brazil+protecting+vast+sea+areas+in+bid+to+safeguard+biodiversity

Brazil protecting vast sea areas in bid to safeguard biodiversity

Brazil protecting vast sea areas in bid to safeguard biodiversity Reuters March 9, 2018 Accessed March 12, 2018

Including two new marine reserves, Brazil will protect about 25 of its waters Photo Link

Brazil will protect two vast marine areas to help preserve its biodiversity, meaning that a quarter of the country's oceans will be safeguarded, according to Brazil's President. Protected areas can allow fish stocks to recover and help rebuild damaged reefs, which will in turn create healthy fisheries and secure long-term food sources __and__ jobs. Brazil has a target of 30% of the oceans being protected by 2030. Overall, there have been global efforts to put forth the significance of maintaining biodiversity: last year, the UN said that the world was expected to hit its target of protecting more than 10% of all marine areas by 2020. In Latin America, Mexico says 23% of their marine areas are protected, and Chile says about 42% of their marine areas are protected.
 * Summary:**

This is clearly related to what we have been studying in AP Environmental Science as it relates to the topic of biodiversity and the issues in the past years that have risen due to the maintenance of our biodiversity. In class, we learned about biodiversity and how the degree of variation in different life forms within a given species, ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet can start to affect the natural processes of the Earth and how we as humans continue to live the lifestyle we live as well (Miller 639-640).
 * Relation to Class:**

My opinion with respect to the issue of maintaining biodiversity is that it is extremely important in doing such, especially when considering the fact that we have to not only protect, but improve the world's oceans. As the Brazilian President said "this measure will help safeguard our rich biodiversity and renews our commitment to a more sustainable world," which, in my opinion, is the key of the future and will help us in our drive to sustainability in its entirety.
 * Opinion:**

A law which is related to this issue is the Commonwealth //Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999//, which provides a legal framework to protect nationally __and__ internationally important plants and animals, ecosystems, and certain geographical locations. The law also helps create protected areas such as parks, reserves, etc., classifies conservation status of species, imposes criminal offenses for those who harm or interfere with the species, and require permits/approvals to be obtained to perform certain activities on the lands.
 * Law:**