The world’s most remote marine-science base – that’s the claim for a facility just opened by the UK government in the South Pacific’s Pitcairn Islands.
The volcanic outcrop and its three outer islands constitute a UK Overseas Territory that is also the world’s third-largest continuous “Highly Protected” Marine Protected Area, created in 2016.
No commercial fishing is allowed across its 842,000sq km, making Pitcairn an important reference point for scientists studying marine biodiversity and assessing climate-change effects. The MPA was awarded a Platinum Status Blue Park Award by the Marine Conservation Institute earlier this year for “exceptional marine wildlife conservation”.
The new base was built to provide a platform for marine scientists visiting to study and monitor the health of Pitcairn’s marine habitats, offering them access to undersea exploration equipment that includes ROVs and video-camera arrays.
More than 1,250 marine species have been recorded around Pitcairn, including three species of whale listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and other threatened species including hawksbill and green turtles and fish. Pitcairn also hosts five species of bony fish found nowhere else on Earth.
One outer island, Ducie, is a shark nursery, and growing numbers of humpback whales have been arriving in Pitcairn waters annually to calve.
‘Treasure trove’
The UK government’s marine-conservation Blue Belt Programme sent specialists to advise on setting up the base, which was built locally by some of Pitcairn’s 40 or so residents. The programme is funding the University of St Andrews to work with them to manage the laboratory, which has been officially opened by Pitcairn governor and British high commissioner to New Zealand Iona Thomas.
“The ocean around the Pitcairn Islands is one of the most pristine places on Earth and home to a treasure trove of sharks, fish, corals and other marine life not seen anywhere else in the world,” she said.
“I hope this base will attract a continuous cycle of scientists to the islands and provide a huge boost to our knowledge of marine science in what is one of the last remaining untouched marine habitats on the planet.”
“Studying our oceans is crucial to understanding the impact of climate change, land-based pollution and habitat degradation, and the opening of our new marine-science base will ensure that we are better equipped to protect our ocean waters against such threats,” said David Rutley, the Foreign Office minister responsible for overseas territories.
“The UK has always placed great importance on conducting scientific research to safeguard our valuable MPAs and I encourage scientists from all over the world to visit and utilise this tremendous base.”
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