The findings, published today in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, show that if all the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) proposed around Antarctica were adopted, the permanent conservation of high-quality areas for a flagship group of Antarctic wildlife – the penguins – would increase by between 49% and 100% depending on the species.
The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica is home to thousands of unique species, including seals, whales and four species of penguins – the Adélie, Chinstrap, Gentoo and Emperor. Many of these feed on krill, tiny shrimp-like crustaceans, which are also the target of large commercial fisheries, who harvest them for a variety of krill-based products including fish food.
Penguins are often considered an indicator species whose populations reflect the state of the surrounding marine environment. However, many vital penguin habitats remain unprotected, leaving them susceptible to human-related threats such as pollution, overfishing and climate change.
