VOA常速英语206--保护“最后的海洋”——罗斯海（在线收听）

保护“最后的海洋”——罗斯海

The Ross Sea is a vast and remote area of water and ice in the Southern Ocean off the frigid coast of Antarctica. It is also home to an unusually diverse and rich ecosystem, unique in its climate and geography, and one of the last remaining seas on Earth that remains unspoiled by human activity. It is home to a wide variety of deep-water species, and unlike nearly every other sea or ocean on our planet, its top predators – whales, seals, penguins, and seabirds – are still abundant.

罗斯海是南冰洋中深入南极洲海岸深处的一片广袤冰川海域。那里有丰富多样的生态体系，独一无二的地理气候，还是世界上为数不多的尚未受到人类活动破坏的仅存海域之一。这里蕴藏着很多深海物种，不像地球上的其他海域——这里的顶级捕食者数量繁多，比如鲸鱼、海豹、企鹅、海鸟。

Precisely because life is still abundant in the Ross Sea, it is in danger of exploitation by humans, particularly by commercial interests, and at risk due to the impacts of climate change.

正是由于罗斯海的生物种类繁多，因此现在才面临着人类开发的危险（尤其是受商业利益驱使的开发），以及气候变化影响的威胁。

That is why on October 28th, twenty-four states, including the United States, China, and Russia, as well as the European Union, created the Ross Sea marine protected area, or MPA, at 1.55 million square kilometers 598,000 square miles the world's largest ocean sanctuary.

由于这个原因，10月28日，包括美国、中国、俄罗斯、欧盟在内的24个国家罗斯海海洋保护区（marine protected area, MPA）。该保护区涵盖海域面积广达155万平方公里、59.8平方英里，是世界上最大的海洋保护区。

“The Ross Sea MPA is designed to be a natural laboratory for valuable scientific research to increase our understanding of the impact of climate change and fishing on the ocean and its resources,” said Secretary of State John Kerry in a written statement.

“罗斯海海洋保护区的建设初衷是为宝贵的科研工作提供一个自然实验室，让人类更加了解气候变化和捕鱼对海洋及海洋资源所造成的影响，”美国国务卿克里在一份书面声明中这样写道。

This means that as of December 2017, when the agreement enters into force, the Ross Sea will be protected from nearly all human activity. Seventy-two percent of these waters will be off limits to commercial fishing, while in a few areas, some fish and krill may be harvested for scientific research. Other human activities will be strictly limited.

这就意味着在2017年12月罗斯海海洋保护区协议生效之前，罗斯海就会受到保护，免于人类活动的影响。72%的罗斯海海域内不得进行商业捕渔，但在一些地区可以捕获鱼类和磷虾以供科研使用。除此之外的人类活动将受到严格限制。

“The creation of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area is an extraordinary step forward for marine protection,” said Secretary of State Kerry – and it did not happen by accident. “The creation of the Ross Sea MPA happened thanks to many years of persistent scientific and policy review, intense negotiations, and principled diplomacy. It happened because our nations understood the responsibility we share to protect this unique place for future generations.”

“罗斯海海洋保护区的创建是海洋保护工作的重要进展，”国务卿克里这样说道——而这一切并非偶然所得。”“罗斯海海洋保护区能够得以创建，要感谢多年来持之以恒的科学研究和政治评论、积极的协商、有原则的外交手段。”“它的创建是基于各国政府理解了我们为子孙后代保护这片独一无二疆域的共同责任。”