Three new areas placed under strict protection

During the Neptune Forum held in Paris, one year after the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, the French government announced the creation of three new marine areas benefiting from a strengthened protection status. Located in the Bay of Audierne, Guadeloupe, and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, these areas mark a new milestone in France's policy for the preservation of marine environments. With this announcement, France has now brought the share of its maritime waters placed under the "strict protection" regime to 14.68%. In these areas, human activities such as fishing, resource extraction, or certain forms of tourism are either prohibited or strictly regulated. The government's stated objective is now to reach 14.8% by the end of 2026, in accordance with the commitments made at the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC).