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The Chagos Marine Protected Area was intended to be the largest contiguous no-take marine reserve declared in the world, covering a total surface area of 640,000 square kilometres (397,667 sq mi) – over twice the surface area of the UK. The Chagos marine reserve protects the world’s largest coral atoll (the Great Chagos Bank) and has one of the healthiest reef systems in the cleanest waters of the world, supporting nearly half the area of good quality reefs in the Indian Ocean.〔(Reefs and islands of the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean: why it is the world's largest no-take marine protected area )〕 No-take marine reserves are areas of the sea in which there is no fishing allowed and as little other human disturbance as can be reasonably arranged. The Chagos reserve was established by the British government on 1 April 2010, and its protection is funded through 2015 with financial support from the Bertarelli Foundation.〔(Billionaire saves marine reserve plans )〕 Chagos, an archipelago of 55 tiny islands, is located in the central Indian Ocean, about 1,500 km from the southern tip of India, 3,400 km due east of Africa and 3,000 km west of Indonesia. Politically, Chagos is constituted as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).〔 The establishment of the protected area has been controversial, as the largest island in the area, Diego Garcia, was forcibly depopulated to make way for a United States military base in 1968 and onwards. In a cable leaked by Wikileaks, a US State Department official commented based on talks with British ministers and officials that establishing the reserve would be the "most effective long-term way to prevent any of the Chagos Islands' former inhabitants or their descendants from resettling."〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/05/09LONDON1156.html )〕 The same cable explained that the protection would permit environmental damage if caused by military use: "the terms of reference for the establishment of a marine park would clearly state that the BIOT, including Diego Garcia, was reserved for military uses... the establishment of a marine reserve had the potential to be a 'win-win situation in terms of establishing situational awareness' of the BIOT...(government ) sought 'no constraints on military operations' as a result of the establishment of a marine park." An exemption in the MPA allows people from the US nuclear base on Diego Garcia to continue fishing. In 2010, more than 28 tonnes of fish was caught for use by personnel on the base. ==Establishment== Previous to the establishment of the marine reserve, the Chagos Archipelago had been declared an Environmental (Preservation and Protection) Zone with legislation in place to protect much of the area’s natural resources.〔(Consultation document, British Foreign and Commonwealth Office )〕 Commercial fishing, however, was licensed for both reef fish and tuna.〔Koldewey et al, (Potential benefits to fisheries and biodiversity of the Chagos Archipelago/British Indian Ocean Territory as a no-take marine reserve )〕 Though the UK government has opposed the area being proposed as a World Heritage Site, it has agreed to treat it as such in order to preserve its environmental value.〔Chagos Conservation Trust (Chagos conservation discussion paper )〕 The case for a large scale marine reserve in the Chagos was first put forward by a consortium of conservation organisations led by the Chagos Environment Network, a collaboration of nine leading scientific and conservation organisations, in "The Chagos Archipelago: Its Nature and the Future"〔Chagos Conservation Trust (Chagos: Its Nature and the Future )〕 which was launched in March 2009. The Chagos Environment Network was the leading advocate for the reserve during the consultation period and organised two of the major petitions in favour of the reserve being set up.〔Chagos Environment Network, (A Unique Scientific and Conservation Opportunity for the UK )〕 From 10 November 2009 to 5 March 2010, a public consultation was carried out by the UK government to take views on whether or not a marine protected area (MPA) should be established in the archipelago. Respondents were asked not only whether they believed that the MPA should be established but also to what degree they thought it should be protected, either to establish a fully no-take marine reserve or a less protected marine protected area that would allow some fishing.〔 The response to this consultation was high, with over 250,000 people expressing their views on the issue either through the use of petitions or more lengthy written replies. Over 90% declared their support for greater marine protection, with the majority believing that it should be a no-take marine reserve.〔British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (Facilitator's Report )〕 The loss of the approximately £800,000 a year earned from tuna licensing was frequently raised as a possible hurdle to the designation of the marine reserve. In the final months leading up to the designation, the Bertarelli Foundation offered to fill the funding gap left by the absence of fisheries income and thereby contribute to the costs of an enforcement boat for a period of five years.〔The Pew Charitable Trusts, (Global Ocean Legacy - Chagos )〕 Following this response, the total area of the Chagos’ Exclusive Economic Zone was declared a fully no-take area,〔British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (Announcement of the creation of the marine reserve )〕 with the exception of a 3-mile zone around the island of Diego Garcia.〔 The British Foreign Secretary instructed the BIOT Commissioner to establish the Marine Protected Area on 1 April 2010, which was essentially the last day he could do so before the dissolution of Parliament prior to the 2010 British general election.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chagos Marine Protected Area」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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