South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) are home to up to a quarter of the world’s penguins and some of the most diverse life on the planet. The SGSSI Government is reviewing the marine protections given to this area throughout 2018. Currently, only 2 percent of the SGSSI marine environment is fully protected from fishing, but the hope is the United Kingdom will upgrade the South Sandwich Islands to a fully protected marine reserve. The Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project, working as part of the Great British Oceans Coalition, is calling for the full protection of over 500,000 square kilometers of ocean around the South Sandwich Islands. This area would be twice the size of the United Kingdom itself, and aid in the protection of nesting penguins and hydrothermal vents alike. Learn more about the South Sandwich Islands and why they’re worth protecting:
http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/...

Transcript
Narration by Lewis Pugh
In a remote corner of the world, isolated hundreds of miles to the east of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, sits a little known chain of islands

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

These jagged peaks jutting out of the Southern Ocean are home to nearly a quarter of all penguins and some of the most diverse life on the planet.

The South Sandwich Islands’ stormy seas have long shielded them from humans.

But for the chinstrap penguins who live here, these pristine waters offer an abundant supply of food. With full bellies, they must make the perilous journey from sea to land.

It’s no easy feat catching the right wave.

They are headed to Zavadovski, an island with an active volcano. The volcano’s heat melts the snow making it the perfect place to raise a family. That’s why the largest chinstrap penguin colony on the planet is found here. It’s a penguin paradise.

But the wildlife of South Georgia has a different history. A century ago, whaling and seal hunting in South Georgia nearly wiped out many species. As numbers declined, profits fell and the industry moved on.

Left alone, these animals slowly began to recover.

Today, the entire region is facing new threats. Climate change is altering the ecosystem from fast warming waters and melting glaciers to acidification. And only 2% of the marine environment is fully protected from fishing.

But, the United Kingdom can help.

A review of the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands’ marine protected area is underway.

By upgrading the South Sandwich Islands to a fully protected marine reserve, we can safeguard an area more than twice the size of the U.K. from exploitation, preserving the entire marine ecosystem, from the nesting penguins to the deepsea vents.

Then, we can focus on enhancing protections around South Georgia.

Safeguarding these tiny, but important, islands would have a big impact for their unique inhabitants. We need to fully protect them or risk losing this special place forever