Jellyfish Lake
The small nation of Palau is the size of New York City, but its marine reserve is the size of California. Palau’s most famous tourist attraction is a lake filled with jellyfish on Eil Malk island. Snorkeling among the jellies is generally considered safe because their stings are too weak to be felt by most people.
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The World Has Two Years to Meet Marine Protection Goal. Can It Be Done?
Protecting 10 percent of the ocean by 2020 was a baby step toward creating a healthier ocean. One study found we're not even half way there.
The U.N. is nearing its decade-long goal of protecting 10 percent of the global ocean by 2020. But the world may fall short.
Scientists agree that marine protected areas, or MPAs, are essential for environmental health: they ensure fishers have healthy stocks by preventing resource depletion; they protect endangered species; they make ecosystems more resistant to climate change; and they maintain biodiversity.
At a U.N. conference held last June, the executive secretary for the Convention on Biological Diversity announced approximately 5.7 percent of the ocean was protected. But a new study published in Marine Policy paints a less optimistic picture.
As of early 2018, only two years away from the U.N. target, the world is not even halfway there,
