NORWAY SHOOTS AND SCORES!

Norway has scored a major win for its marine wildlife after creating the largest marine reserve in the country’s history

Protecting an area equivalent to around 260,000 football pitches.

The new Andfjorden marine protected area covers around 717 square miles of ocean off northern Norway, safeguarding an extraordinary underwater landscape of cold-water coral reefs, kelp forests and rich marine habitats.

And there are some fairly impressive residents.

The waters support a huge variety of fish and other marine life, as well as sperm whales, while the coral reefs and kelp forests provide vital habitats beneath the surface.

Conservationists have spent years calling for stronger protection of the area, and Norway’s government has now committed to giving the new reserve robust safeguards.

The protected area will be overseen by a dedicated board, which is expected to include representatives from the indigenous Sámi community, giving local voices a role in how the reserve is managed.

Norway’s climate and environment minister, Sigrun Aasland, described Andfjorden as an area with rich and varied nature both above and below the surface, and said its protection would help preserve those natural values for future generations.

The announcement comes as countries around the world work towards the international goal of protecting 30% of the planet’s land and seas by 2030.

There is still an enormous amount of work to be done to reach that target — and simply declaring an area protected does not automatically guarantee that wildlife will be safe.

But in Andfjorden, almost two thousand square kilometres of ocean now have a much better chance.

That’s one rather sizeable goal for Norway — and an even bigger win for everything swimming beneath it.