Fishing, mining and new hotels will be
prohibited in the ‘biologically spectacular’ Revillagigedo archipelago
Mattha Busby and
agencies
Saturday 25 November 2017 12.38 GMTLast
modified on Wednesday 29 November 2017 12.17 GMT
Mexico’s government has created the largest
ocean reserve in North America around a Pacific archipelago regarded as its
crown jewel.
The measures will help ensure the
conservation of marine creatures including whales, giant rays and turtles.
The protection zone spans 57,000 sq miles
(150,000 sq km) around the Revillagigedo islands, which lie 242 miles (390 km)
south-west of the Baja California peninsula.
Mexico’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto,
announced the decision in a decree that also bans mining and the construction
of new hotels on the islands.
He said on Saturday that the decree
reaffirmed the country’s “commitment to the preservation of the heritage
of Mexico and
the world”.
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