• placement: superzone
  • path: articles/hero
  • containerId: gpt-ad-869869520456
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [320, 50], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "tristan-da-cunha-marine-park",
  "refresh": 30,
  "refresh_limit": 3
}

The world's most remote island is now the Atlantic's largest marine park

Nov 18, 2020

2 MIN READ
Macaroni Penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus), a species of penguin found from the Subantarctic to the Antarctic Peninsula. 140616661 egg, bad, zoo, rain, cold, park, bird, rock, line, swim, dive, cute, drop, beak, hair, pole, snow, wild, spot, fish, dirty, white, south, black, young, beach, color, polar, island, travel, yellow, colony, nature, aquatic, penguin, feather, feeding, seabird, chester, elephant, breeding, mountain, macaroni, wildlife, peninsula, captivity, patagonia, antarctic, antarctica, endangered
Sasha Brady

Writer

Dublin

I'm a Dublin-based writer and digital editor for Lonely Planet, where I've been part of the team since 2018. Growing up in a family scattered around the world sparked a lifelong love of travel. There was always someone to visit somewhere. While my travels have taken me across Latin America, Australia and Europe, it's always the anticipation of the next adventure that excites me the most. My approach to travel is all about experiencing a place as locals do, delving into its culture through its m…

In a massive win for conservation, the tiny island of Tristan da Cunha is creating a marine protection zone that will make it the largest sanctuary in the Atlantic and the fourth-largest in the world.

  • placement: inContentSidebar
  • path: articles/in-content-top
  • containerId: gpt-ad-191833638890
  • possible size: [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "tristan-da-cunha-marine-park",
  "refresh": 30,
  "refresh_limit": 3
}

Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic that's home to just 254 residents. It's the most remote inhabited island on Earth, but soon it will have another unique claim to make when it becomes the largest fully protected marine park in the Atlantic. The UK government announced that almost 700, 000 square km of the waters around Tristan da Cunha will become a marine protected area where bottom-trawling fishing, deep-sea mining and other harmful activities will be banned.

Sign to describe remoteness of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic ©David Forman/Getty Images
Sign to describe remoteness of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic ©David Forman/Getty Images
  • placement: inContentSidebar
  • path: articles/in-content-middle
  • containerId: gpt-ad-453784538244
  • possible size: [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "tristan-da-cunha-marine-park",
  "refresh": 30,
  "refresh_limit": 3
}

The archipelago is home to many unique species including Southern right whales and their calves, the elusive shepherd's beak whale, sevengill sharks, the globally-threatened blue-nose albatross, and the Atlantic petrel, as well as 80% of the world's population of sub-Antarctic fur seals, and 90% of the world's population of Northern rockhopper penguins. Tens of millions of seabirds feed here too. The sanctuary will go a long way in safeguarding local and visiting wildlife and will help the UK reach its target of protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030 through its Blue Belt Programme.

The islands are home to most of the world's sub-Antarctic fur seals ©Getty Images/Westend61
The islands are home to most of the world's sub-Antarctic fur seals ©Getty Images/Westend61

“Our life on Tristan da Cunha has always been based around our relationship with the sea, and that continues today,” James Glass, the territory’s chief islander, said in a statement. “That’s why we’re fully protecting 90% of our waters, and we’re proud that we can play a key role in preserving the health of the oceans.”

Inaccessible Island is fringed with sheer sea cliffs but is accessible via a few boulder beaches. Inaccessible Island has been without permanent inhabitants since 1873 ©Getty Images/iStockphoto
Inaccessible Island is fringed with sheer sea cliffs but is accessible via a few boulder beaches. Inaccessible Island has been without permanent inhabitants since 1873 ©Getty Images/iStockphoto
  • placement: native
  • path: articles/in-content-native
  • containerId: gpt-ad-904614405073
  • possible size: [f, l],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "tristan-da-cunha-marine-park",
  "refresh": 30,
  "refresh_limit": 3
}

The isolated area is located about halfway between South Africa and Argentina. It is made up of four islands including Inaccessible Island, Nightingale Island, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Gough Island. Most of the islands' income is supported through sustainable rock lobster fishery.

The archipelago doesn't have an airport. The only way to travel there is by ship from Cape Town and visitors need prior approval from the Tristan da Cunha council.

You might also like:

Tristan da Cunha: a journey to the centre of the ocean Sustainable tourism, wildlife protection and Indigenous culture thrive in Australia's new marine park Record amount of plastic recovered from largest-ever ocean clean-up

  • placement: fullWidth
  • path: articles/bottom
  • containerId: gpt-ad-989947755408
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "tristan-da-cunha-marine-park",
  "refresh": 30,
  "refresh_limit": 3
}

Explore related stories

Read more