CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia will create the largest network of marine parks in the world, protecting waters covering an area as large as India while banning oil and gas exploration and limiting commercial fishing in some of the most sensitive areas.
Australia's marine reserves will increases from 27 to 60 under the new scheme, covering more than 3 million sq km, or one third of the country's waters.
The announcement of the network was made a week before more than 130 heads of state and government will gather in Rio de Janeiro for the United Nations' sustainable development conference as part of global efforts to curb climate change, one of the biggest conferences in U.N. history.