Campaigners Monday urged global leaders to put aside differences and create two vast Antarctic marine sanctuaries to protect one of the world's last untouched wilderness and a unique array of species, including whales and giant squid. The fate of the plans to shield critical areas of ocean around the frozen continent is in the hands of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which opened its annual meeting in Hobart. The talks run until Oct. 30, with both an Australian-backed East Antarctic scheme and a US-New Zealand bid for a protected zone in the Ross Sea blocked last year due to a lack of consensus among the 24 member countries and the European Union.

Vast Antarctic marine reserves in focus at meeting. (2015, October 20). BusinessWorld, p. S1/8.