No “garbage island” here, Puerto Rico's new marine reserve November 2, 2024

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A beach in Puerto Rico

By AFP - Agence France Presse

No “garbage island” here, Puerto Rico's new marine reserve

The US Caribbean territory of Puerto Rico likened to an “island of floating garbage” at a Republican rally in New York, announced on Wednesday the creation of a new marine reserve to protect manatees and other species.

The announcement, made at the UN COP16 biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia, came amid an uproar over a comedian's comments at a Donald Trump election rally on Sunday.

“There's a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it's called Puerto Rico,” said comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.

“Fortunately, that couldn't be further from the truth, and local communities in northern Puerto Rico are proving why,” said a message from Greenhouse Communications announcing the creation of a new marine protected area (MPA) spanning 202 square kilometers (78 square miles).

The area, which will be known as Jardines Submarinos (Underwater Gardens) of Vega Baja and Manati, encompasses coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds that are home to more than 14 endangered species, including the Greater Caribbean manatee, said a statement from the Wildlife Conservation Society and other NGOs.

“The area is also home to a vibrant small-scale fishery and a local ecotourism sector,” it added.

The communities hope that the initiative “will allow their waters to continue to be a source of food and income for local families for generations to come.”

The MPA was the product of more than 16 years of activism by local communities.

It was announced as the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) entered its final stretch in Cali.

The summit is trying to make progress on financing 23 targets agreed in Canada two years ago to “halt and reverse” the loss of nature.

One of the targets is to have 30% of marine and coastal areas “effectively conserved and managed” by 2030 through efforts such as MPAs.

Last week, a Greenpeace report stated that MPAs covered only 8.4% of the global ocean. Only 2.7% of the ocean is fully or highly protected.

The equivalent of 23.5 MPAs the size of France will have to be established every year until 2030 to reach the 30% target, the report said.

The United States, of which Puerto Rico is a territory, is not one of the 196 parties to the biodiversity convention.

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