Largest+Marine+Protected+Area+in+North+America+to+be+Created+off+Mexico

[|Largest Marine Protected Area in North America to be Created off Mexico] National Geographic October 26th, 2017

On October 5th, the Mexican government announced the development of a new marine reserve in the Pacific Ocean which will be categorized as the biggest in North America. This are will cover over 57,000 square miles of ocean and include the Revillagigedo Islands which are home to sharks, rays, mantas, coral, tuna, and many other species. This area. was also named a World Heritage Site in 2016 for its vast biodiversity; however, currently, it is only protected by a small reserve that only includes the islands and the six miles surrounding them, leaving the crucial migration and feeding areas for sharks, rays, and mantas open to fisherman. They often targeted the areas illegally or they caught many of the animals in the bycatch while attempting to only catch fish. The development of this reserve is projected to lead to an increase in economical benefits, including a population growth for the species inhabiting the areas in the reserve, spilling over into the outsides regions where fishing is allowed and an increase in dive tourism. The development of this natural reserve will serve as a model to other areas of the world and is a crucial step in the process of protecting and restoring the oceans and the species within them. In our course we have been studying the affect that humans have on the earth in positive and negative ways. This includes restoration and protection of biodiversity (Miller 682), crucial to the success and development of species diversity and their increasing populations. This article discusses the benefits of the development of this reserve however, restoration has many limits, such as destroying another ecosystem near the area that is being developed as a reserve or altering society's view of restoration and degradation as it can viewed that we can reverse and damage with simply restoring it (Miller 248). The restoration and status of our earth is should be taken much more seriously by lawmakers and the government considering the path that our society is heading down. This reserve can serve as a major step in the reconstruction of the oceans and its species, hopefully further increasing environmental awareness so that more steps can be taken. This could also lead to the protection of land ecosystems and the melting glaciers. Without a drastic change in our actions, the earth will further fall into a state of distress and will experience more destruction. The law that relates to this environmental issue is the //Galapagos Special Law//, passed in 1998 by the Ecuadorian government. This law was established to protect the Galapagos Islands and the surrounding area and create the Galapagos Marine Reserve. This act may be altered in the future if the earth continues to degrade however, the initiation of this law can help the public understand how to protect and support our environment.
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