South Georgia Congratulates Tristan da Cunha and Celebrates 4 Years of the Blue Belt Programme

(13th November 2020)

GSGSSI would like to congratulate Tristan da Cunha on the establishment of their new Marine Protection Zone. With the establishment of this protected area, Tristan da Cunha joins South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands and other UK Overseas Territories, including Ascension, St Helena, Pitcairn and the British Indian Ocean Territory, in making a lasting commitment to protect the waters surrounding these incredible islands.

The announcement comes as the Blue Belt Programme, a UK Government initiative to support marine management in the OT’s, reaches a 4-year milestone. The SGSSI Marine Protected Area covers over 1.24 million square kilometres, and with today’s declaration from Tristan da Cunha, the Blue Belt Programme’s total protected area is now over 4.3 million square kilometres. This is the equivalent to more than 17 times the size of the UK and over 1% of the Earth’s ocean.

You can learn more about South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands involvement with the Blue Belt Programme – download here. [.docx]