Largest marine protected area in Atlantic Ocean will soon be official
The tiny island is the summit of a vast underwater mountain range that houses a rich diversity of species.
The nearly 170,000 square miles of ocean around Ascension Island, one of the world’s most pristine and biodiverse ocean ecosystems, will soon be officially protected.
From the surface, Ascension Island—a tiny volcanic outpost in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between Brazil and the west coast of Africa—looks remote and isolated.
But the small island is perched on the summit of a 10,000-foot underwater volcano in the mid-Atlantic ridge, one of the world’s longest mountain ranges.
On August 24, the Ascension Island government announced plans to turn its national waters into a marine protected area, and today, the U.K. government announced plans to set aside 7 million pounds ($8.5 million) for marine conservation.
A portion of that money is expected to go
