Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area
New Zealand and the United States won unanimous agreement to protect the Ross Sea, and the MPA entered into force on 1 December 2017 (NZ MFAT).
Image: U.S. Department of State (Adélie penguin at Cape Royds, Antarctica, 2016, public domain).
Last reviewed: 1 source cited
The world's largest marine protected area guards one of the last untouched oceans.
The Ross Sea MPA covers 1.55 million km², and 1.12 million km² of it is fully protected (NZ MFAT).
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area
Explain Like I'm 10
- The Ross Sea is a cold, wild sea next to Antarctica.
- Penguins, seals and whales feed there, and its food chain is still complete.
- Countries agreed to make most of it a place where commercial fishing is not allowed.
The Five W's of the Ross Sea MPA
Who
New Zealand and the United States proposed it; all members of CCAMLR, the Antarctic marine body, agreed.
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area
What
A marine protected area with a no-take General Protection Zone plus limited research zones for krill and toothfish.
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area
When
Proposed in 2012, agreed in October 2016, in force from 1 December 2017.
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area
Where
The Ross Sea region of the Southern Ocean, off Antarctica.
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area
Why
Its unbroken food chain, with all its top predators, makes it one of the most pristine places on Earth.
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area
Connected Solutions
- Thwaites Glacier Collaboration Studying the Antarctic glacier that could raise seas.
Impact Statement
Government solution · in force since 2017
Over 30% of the world's Adélie penguins and about a quarter of all emperor penguins use this sea. Now 1.12 million km² of it is closed to commercial fishing (NZ MFAT).
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area
The Ross Sea is home to rare sponges that can live for up to 500 years (NZ MFAT).
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
Science zones inside the MPA give researchers a living benchmark of how an intact ocean works (NZ MFAT).
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area
For Nature
It protects feeding grounds for Weddell seals, killer whales, emperor penguins and Antarctic toothfish (NZ MFAT).
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area
Learn More About the Ross Sea MPA
Connected Solutions
- Andfjorden Marine Protected Area Norway's largest marine protected area, created in 2026.
Want to go deeper? New Zealand explains the agreement.
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