The newly established marine protected area will serve as a safe haven for sharks, dolphins, whales and sea turtles

Nov 4, 2014 20:05 GMT  ·  By

Not too long ago, high officials in Bangladesh created the country's first marine reserve ever. The protected area, located off the country's coastline, in the waters off the Bay of Bengal, is expected to serve as a safe haven for several species.

Thus, members and supporters of environmental group the Wildlife Conservation Society say that this newly created marine protected area will help safeguard sea turtles, whales, dolphins, sharks and many other aquatic creatures.

Introducing Bangladesh's first marine reserve

Information shared with the public says that this marine reserve in the Bay of Bengal that Bangladesh created just a few days ago covers an area of about 672 square miles (approximately 1,738 square kilometers).

Just to put things into perspective, the Wildlife Conservation Society explains that this means that it is considerably bigger than Cape Cod Bay, a large bay of the Atlantic Ocean that sits next to the US state of Massachusetts.

The new marine protected has an average depth of about 900 meters (roughly 2,950 feet). As detailed by high officials in Bangladesh, it includes part of the Swatch of No Ground submarine canyon, which measures about 14 kilometers (8.6 miles) in width.

It is understood that high officials in Bangladesh settled on creating the country's first marine reserve in this part of the Bay of Bengal due to the fact that, as shown by wildlife researchers, the area is home to many marine species that are in need of protection.

“The SoNG MPA [Swatch of No Ground Marine Protected Area] supports an astonishing diversity of dolphins, porpoises and whales including species in need of immediate protection,” environmentalist  Rubaiyat Mansur with the Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement.

“Marine protected areas that conserve cetaceans and other marine life are extremely important steps in saving vital marine ecosystems that support hundreds of thousands of people,” added conservationist Dr. Howard Rosenbaum.

Big plans for the future

By the looks of it, the Wildlife Conservation Society, together with other environmental groups, wishes that 10% of the world's marine ecosystems be granted legal protection by the end of the decade.

Following the creation of the Swatch of No Ground Marine Protected Area in the waters off the coast of Bangladesh, the organization hopes that India might want to create a new marine reserve as well. The goals is to create a bigger protected area stretching along both these countries' coastline.

The Wildlife Conservation Society says that, contrary to what some might assume, safeguarding marine ecosystems is not just about keeping aquatic species from going extinct. On the contrary, it's also about fighting climate change and global warming.

As Dr. Howard Rosenbaum put it, “Safeguarding these species and natural resources will become even more important in the years to come, particularly due to the challenges of climate change.”