Europe’s Largest Marine Protected Area Is Coming to Life

A newly founded marine-protected area off the coast of Portugal will be Europe’s largest – and home of a vast array of birds and underworld species – as part of the country’s effort to achieve its goal to protect 30% of land and ocean by 2030.

“When we say the largest marine reserve in Europe, it’s exciting, because it really is a sense of leadership and ambition,” says Paul Rose of Pristine Seas, an underwater exploration project whose aim is to inspire the protection of unique marine ecosystems. 

The reserve covering 2,677 square kilometers – situated around the Selvagens Islands, an archipelago in the North Atlantic – expands existing protections for sea birds. In the context of the 30X30 goal to protect 30% of land and water by 2030, Portugal’s announcement “shows that we can actually do this.”