The Chagos Marine Protected Area, located in the central Indian Ocean in the British Indian Ocean Territory of the United Kingdom, is one of the world's largest officially designated marine protected areas, and one of the largest protected areas of any type (land or sea) on Earth. It was established by the British government on 1 April 2010 as a massive, contiguous, marine reserve, it encompasses of ocean waters, including roughly 70 small islands and seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago.
The establishment of the protected area was immediately controversial, as the Chagossian people were forcibly expelled from the archipelago, including the outlying islands, because the United States wanted a military base on Diego Garcia; their expulsion has been described as ethnic cleansing. In a cable leaked by WikiLeaks, a US State Department official commented based on talks with British ministers and officials that establishing the reserve to restrict fishing would be the "most effective long-term way to prevent any of the Chagos Islands' former inhabitants or their descendants from resettling." The same cable explained that the protection would permit environmental damage if caused by military use: "the terms of reference for the establishment of a marine park would clearly state that the BIOT, including Diego Garcia, was reserved for military uses. ... the establishment of a marine reserve had the potential to be a 'win-win situation in terms of establishing situational awareness' of the BIOT... [the government] sought 'no constraints on military operations' as a result of the establishment of a marine park." An exemption in the MPA allows people from the US base on Diego Garcia to continue fishing. In 2010, more than 28 tonnes of fish was caught for use by personnel on the base.
On 18 March 2015, the Permanent Court of Arbitration unanimously held that the establishment of the marine protected area (MPA) was illegal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as Mauritius had legally binding rights to fish in the waters surrounding the Chagos Archipelago, to an eventual return of the Chagos Archipelago, and to the preservation of any minerals or oil discovered in or near the Chagos Archipelago prior to its return. The decision of the court is final and binding. The MPA is now under negotiation between the UK government and government of Mauritius.
The CMPA is administered with assistance from the Chagos Trust, funded by donations and the British Government. Tourist visitors are generally not permitted, although as of 2016 private yachts sailing across the Indian Ocean may apply for mooring permits outside the strict nature reserve areas.
Description The Chagos marine reserve protects the world's largest coral atoll (the Great Chagos Bank) and has one of the healthiest reef systems in the cleanest waters of the world, supporting nearly half the area of good quality reefs in the Indian Ocean. No-take marine reserves are areas of the sea in which there is no fishing allowed and as little other human disturbance as can be reasonably arranged.
The Chagos Archipelago of 70 tiny islands and atolls is located in the central Indian Ocean, about 1,500 km from the southern tip of India, 3,400 km due east of Africa and 3,000 km west of Indonesia. Politically, Chagos is constituted as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).
Establishment Previous to the establishment of the marine reserve, the Chagos Archipelago had been declared an Environmental (Preservation and Protection) Zone with legislation in place to protect much of the area's natural resources. Commercial fishing, however, was licensed for both reef fish and tuna.Koldewey et al, Potential benefits to fisheries and biodiversity of the Chagos Archipelago/British Indian Ocean Territory as a no-take marine reserve Though the UK government has opposed the area being proposed as a World Heritage Site, it has agreed to treat it as such in order to preserve its environmental value.Chagos Conservation Trust Chagos conservation discussion paper
The case for a large scale marine reserve in the Chagos was first put forward by a consortium of conservation organisations led by the Chagos Environment Network, a collaboration of nine leading scientific and conservation organisations, in "The Chagos Archipelago: Its Nature and the Future"Chagos Conservation Trust Chagos: Its Nature and the Future which was launched in March 2009. The Chagos Environment Network was the leading advocate for the reserve during the consultation period and organised two of the major petitions in favour of the reserve being set up.Chagos Environment Network, A Unique Scientific and Conservation Opportunity for the UK
From 10 November 2009 to 5 March 2010, a public consultation was carried out by the UK government to take views on whether or not a marine protected area (MPA) should be established in the archipelago. Respondents were asked not only whether they believed that the MPA should be established but also to what degree they thought it should be protected, either to establish a fully no-take marine reserve or a less protected marine protected area that would allow some fishing.
The response to this consultation was high, with over 250,000 people expressing their views on the issue either through the use of petitions or more lengthy written replies. Over 90% declared their support for greater marine protection, with the majority believing that it should be a no-take marine reserve.British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Facilitator's Report The loss of the approximately £800,000 a year earned from tuna licensing was frequently raised as a possible hurdle to the designation of the marine reserve. In the final months leading up to the designation, the Bertarelli Foundation offered to fill the funding gap left by the absence of fisheries income and thereby contribute to the costs of an enforcement boat for a period of five years.The Pew Charitable Trusts, Global Ocean Legacy - Chagos Following this response, the total area of the Chagos’ Exclusive Economic Zone was declared a fully no-take area,British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Announcement of the creation of the marine reserve with the exception of a 3-mile zone around the island of Diego Garcia.
The British Foreign Secretary instructed the BIOT Commissioner to establish the Marine Protected Area on 1 April 2010, which was essentially the last day he could do so before the dissolution of Parliament prior to the 2010 British general election.
The Chagos MPA's establishment and first five years of protection has been supported by major funding from the Bertarelli Foundation.
Ecology and biodiversity Ninety percent of the United Kingdom's biodiversity lies in its Overseas Territories, and the Chagos archipelago is by far the most biodiverse marine area in the United Kingdom's waters.Chagos Conservation Trust Home page Its habitats include extensive shallow limestone reefs and associated environments, about 300 seamountsSheppard et al, Chagos Conservation and Management plan and a deep sea trench - an underwater canyon more than 4,900 m (16,000 ft) deep.National Oceanography Centre, Southampton Marine conservation in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT): science issues and opportunities
Coral One of the most unusual aspects of the Chagos marine environment is its extremely healthy and diverse coral cover, which is dense even in deep water and on the steep outer slopes of reefs. The area hosts 220 species of coral including the Ctenella chagius, a variety of brain coral believed to be endemic to the atoll, and staghorn coral which is important to protecting low-lying islands from wave erosion.Chagos Conservation Trust, Corals Chagos provides an important benchmark for coral conservation, and is a 'natural laboratory' in which we can study the functioning of these wonderfully complex ecosystems.ZSL, Chagos Biodiversity and Threats
Fish The fish of the region are equally diverse, with at least 784 different species having been identified including the Chagos clownfish (Amphiprion chagosensis) which is endemic to the archipelago. The strictly no-take Chagos Marine Reserve has freed Chagos' fish populations from fishing pressure within the reserve's boundaries. The marine reserve is an important refuge for overfished pelagic species such as manta rays, sharks including whale sharks, tuna and is of particular importance for globally threatened species, such as the silky shark. It is also believed, based on results of research on similar deep water and diverse underwater terrain in other parts of the world, that the deep water trench is very likely to harbour a variety of previously undiscovered species.Chagos Conservation Trust, Fish
Turtles The islands of the archipelago provide vital nesting sites for green and hawksbill turtles (Chelonia mydas and Eretmochelys imbricata). Since the hawksbill turtle is labelled ‘critically endangered’ and the green turtle ‘endangered’ on the IUCN Red List, the Chagos populations are considered to be of international importance. It is estimated that 300-700 hawksbill and 400-800 green turtles nest annually across the 55 islands of the archipelago.Chagos Conservation Trust, Turtles
Mammals Environments of Chagos Archipelago provides rich biodiversity and support varieties of cetacean species within the vicinity, such as three populations of blue whalesDunne R. P., Polunin N. V., Sand P. H., Johnson M. L., 2014. The Creation of the Chagos Marine Protected Area: A Fisheries Perspective. Advances in Marine Biology (69). pp.79-127. ResearchGate and toothed whales (such as sperm, pilot, orca, pseudo-orca, risso's and other dolphins such as spinners). Regional extinct dugongs were historically seen in the archipelago, hence the Sea Cow Island was named due to the presences of the species.
Birds The breeding seabirds of the Chagos are considered to be of international importance. The archipelago harbours eighteen different species of breeding birds and ten of its islands have been designated as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) by Birdlife International, making the region the most diverse breeding seabird community in this tropical region,Chagos Conservation Trust, Birds though the presence of human-introduced rats on several of the other islands severely hinder seabird nesting on these.
Five species are considered to be breeding in internationally significant numbers: the sooty tern (Sterna fuscata); the brown and lesser noddy (Anous stolidus and Anous tenuirostris); the red-footed booby (Sula sula) and the wedge-tailed shearwater (Puffinus pacificus).
Coconut crabs The world's largest terrestrial arthropod, the coconut crab (Birgus latro) is abundant on the islands of the Chagos archipelago, with an overall density in the conservation area on Diego Garcia of 298 crabs per hectare – the highest ever recorded. Due to the long distances which the larvae of the coconut crab can travel, the Chagos population is considered important in replenishing numbers in other areas of the Indian Ocean.Chagos Conservation Trust, Coconut crabs
Scientific research