Help create the biggest marine reserve on the planet

Right now the British government is holding an open consultation on whether to create a Marine Reserve around the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.

If they go ahead, it will be the largest on the planet, protecting over 200,000 square miles of ocean, including  half of the Indian Ocean’s pristine coral reefs and the world’s largest coral atoll.

The window for comments is only open for a very limited time - in fact it closes on 12th February. You can help by writing to Foreign Secretary David Miliband - tell him you want a no-take Marine Reserve to protect the colourful coral reef life around the Chagos.

No-take Marine Reserves have a vital role to play in protecting our seas from destructive dredging and fishing. We urgently need more of them - scientists say that 20-50% of our oceans should be set aside and protected in this way. Reserves help our marine life withstand all of the other pressures we are creating, from climate change to destructive fishing practices.

Most obviously they also provide a vital refuge for the amazing plants and animals that live in our oceans, from slow growing corals, to turtles, sharks and seabirds, as well as a safe place for commercially-important fish species to recover and thrive.

So it's great news that the British government is consulting over plans which could see us create the world’s largest Marine Reserve (26 times the size of Wales, fact-fans). The area in question is the Chagos archipelago, which contains 55 small islands, the world’s largest coral atoll, and about half of the pristine coral reefs in the Indian Ocean.

The government is now requesting your views on whether to protect this area as a Marine Reserve. But the window for comments is only open for a very limited time - in fact it closes next week on 12th February.

So, please take a minute to help. Email Foreign Secretary David Miliband and call on him to create a no-take Marine Reserve to protect the colourful coral reef life around the Chagos. And please ask your friends to add their voices as well - this definitely is one of these times where a few short words from a lot of us really can make a big difference.

View all news articles