Documents supplied to Daily Maverick show Beijing is proposing a 127,000km² marine protected area that would allow commercial krill fishing during part of every year and expire after 20 years, while separately seeking changes to the rules governing marine protection across the Southern Ocean.
It is a potential seismic shift in the heated geopolitics of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) set to meet this month. But Beijing’s offer of protection comes with its own set of conditions.
Three documents supplied to Daily Maverick, attributed to the Chinese delegation, set out Beijing’s plans for a new 127,000km² marine protected area (MPA) in East Antarctica’s Soviet-named “Cosmonauts Sea” – along with proposed changes to the rules for establishing Antarctic MPAs.
The September-dated documents include a new MPA proposed by China, its supporting scientific paper and tracked draft changes to the Southern Ocean’s marine park rulebook.
They are due to be considered at the closed-door 45th meeting of the UK-chaired commission, which takes place in Hobart, Tasmania, from 19 to 30 October. To pass, not one signatory of the 27-member commission – which includes Norway, South Africa and Ukraine – can object.
Reviewed by Daily Maverick, the documents provide a detailed picture of the type of marine protection China is advocating…
Read the full and exclusive investigation – first published on Daily Maverick on 6 October 2026…
