Marine protected areas in pictures

Covering an area of almost 1.3 million square kilometers (800,000 square miles), this is among the world's largest marine protected areas. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it is home to all manner of marine life including green turtles, pearl oysters, giant clams, reef sharks, coconut crabs, dolphins and whales.

Surrounding this British Overseas Territory lies the largest contiguous marine protected area in the world. The 834,334 square kilometers of pristine ocean habitat are monitored via satellite to track potential illegal fishing activity in this vast and remote corner of the South Pacific.

Situated off the northeastern coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest in the world. A vast area of that reef, which is so big it can be seen from space, forms the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The reef saw devastating coral bleaching in 2016 and 2017. In an effort to protect the delicate ecosystem, fishing is strictly regulated and commercial ships can only use certain routes.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to many animals found nowhere else in the world, the Galapagos Marine Reserve in the Pacific Ocean is administered by Ecuador and is the largest marine park in a developing country.

The Bowie Seamount is an underwater volcano located 180 kilometers off the west coast of Canada. Although the volcano rises about 3,000 meters from the ocean bed, its highest point is 24 meters below sea level. While it may be invisible to those of us living above water, the submerged mountain is home to a rich mix of marine fauna and flora.

The United Kingdom declared this vast stretch of Indian Ocean a marine protected area in 2010. The legality of the move has been contested by Mauritius, which lays claim to the group of islands. In the 1970s, the UK evicted the entire native population from the archipelago and granted the United States permission to use it as a military base.

Extending from the German-Danish maritime border down to the Elbe estuary, and with an area of 4,410 square kilometers, this is doubtless Germany’s largest national park. Due to the intertidal nature of the Wadden Sea, some 30 percent of it is only periodically under water.

Covering a large area between the French Riviera, Sardinia and the Italian region of Tuscany, this sanctuary was established specifically to protect marine mammals. It is currently the world's only conservation area in international waters.

In October 2016, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) agreed to create a marine protected area off the coast of Antarctica. However, the 1.6 million square kilometers of pristine wilderness will only be protected for 35 years. What happens after remains to be seen.

The government of Gabon announced in June 2017 creation of a 53,000-square-kilometer network of marine protected areas - the largest in Africa. It would apply to a quarter of Gabon's seas, which are incredibly rich in life, including sea turtles, whales, dolphins, corals, even crocodiles. The region is known for rampant overfishing - the reserves are accompanied by a sustainable fishing plan.

In July 2017, the Cook Islands - a small island nation about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii - approved designation of the world's new largest marine sanctuaries off its shores. The 1.9-million-square-kilometer preserve includes a core no-fishing zone, otherwise limits on mineral extraction and commercial fishing. It's hoped to help preserve the archipelago's lagoons and reefs.