IUCN response to the consultation
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), one of the most well-respected and influential conservation bodies in the world, has today published online its response to the Chagos consultation. Their response supports the Chagos Environment Network’s position that the government should create a fully no-take Marine Protected Area for the entire Chagos region.
In summary, the IUCN statement says:
“The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) supports the creation of a full marine reserve in Chagos, encompassing the whole of the territorial waters and the Environmental Preservation and Protection Zone (EPPZ)/Fisheries Conservation and Management Zone (FCMZ) of the Chagos archipelago. IUCN also recognises the essential involvement of all relevant stakeholders in the consultation towards the establishment of an MPA, and considers it essential that the outcome be reached through agreement of all such stakeholders.”