Portugal’s Azores Creates Magnificent North Atlantic Marine Protected Areas Network

October 23, 2024 – Portugal’s Autonomous Region of the Azores has passed groundbreaking legislation designating the largest network of marine protected areas in the North Atlantic. The network protects 30 percent of the sea around the Azores, covering 287,000 square kilometers, half of which are fully protected from natural resource exploitation and the other half are highly protected. This initiative sets an important milestone in global marine conservation and provides a strong precedent for the upcoming biodiversity negotiations.