Antarctica The Antarctic Peninsula is, from an ecosystem standpoint, the last frontier. Jutting out from the largely frozen and relatively lifeless continent of Antarctica, this immense strip of land, which reaches out towards the southern tip of South America, is home to some of the coldest world habitats. A protected area under the nominal jurisdiction of three countries, … [Read more...]
VALDES PENINSULA
Argentina The Valdes Peninsula is one of the greatest marine life sanctuaries of the South Atlantic, and along with El Vizcaino one of the best in Latin America. Jutting out into the Atlantic from Patagonia, Valdes is one of the pre-eminent wildlife reserves in the southern hemisphere for sea mammals such as seals and whales. It is also one of the northernmost habitats for … [Read more...]
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
Ecuador The Galapagos Islands are some of the most remote, exotic and famous islands in the world. Immortalized by the scientist Charles Darwin in the 19th century, the Galapogos is practically where Naturalism was invented, and where the Theory of Evolution was first conceived. For many who study the natural sciences, a visit to the Galapagos is nothing short of a … [Read more...]
BELIZE BARRIER REEF
Belize The Belize Barrier Reef is the largest barrier reef in the Caribbean as well as the largest outside of the Pacific. Located close to the tourism-intensive Yucatan Peninsula, it is one of the most accessible major reefs as well as one of the world’s most popular tropical dive sites. Despite being a high-priority protected site, this coral reef is in a highly trafficked … [Read more...]
EL VIZCAINO BIOSPHERE RESERVE
Mexico The El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve is the largest wildlife reserve in Mexico. Covering a wide swath of both the Baja California Peninsula and the Pacific Ocean, it is one of the best preserved wildlife areas south of the border. The land surface is populated by rare birds and animals, but it is the marine life for which this reserve is most famous. El Vicaino is world … [Read more...]
CRYSTAL RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Florida The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge is one of the smallest but most popular marine wildlife reserves on the Eastern Seaboard. This tiny waterway, barely seven miles long, is one of the largest Manatee refuges in the United States and one of the most important in the world. Visitors from all over the world come here to view, and occasionally swim with, the … [Read more...]
BONIN ISLANDS
Philippines The Bonin Islands is an archipelago of about thirty islands in the Pacific, almost all of which have been uninhabited throughout history. Because these islands have always been isolated, they have a unique ecosystem that has earned them the nickname the Galapagos of the Orient. Only a handful of native species, mostly birds, inhabit the islands themselves. But … [Read more...]
GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK
Australia The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is an immense marine wildlife reserve just off the northeast coastr of Australia. It incorporates most of the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system on Earth. Home to a huge amount of species from tiny fish to enormous whales, this area is the site of some of the world’s best diving sites. Routinely counted among the … [Read more...]
TUBBATAHA REEFS NATIONAL PARK
Philippines Tubbataha Reserves National Park is definitely a contender for the world’s greatest marine life sanctuary. Although relatively small at just under 1,000 square km, it packs in two expansive atolls, several massive coral reefs and over a thousand species of marine animals. Home to large numbers of sharks, whales, dolphins and turtles, Tubbataha is regularly … [Read more...]
KOMODO NATIONAL PARK
Indonesia Komodo National Park is a combination terrestrial and marine wildlife sanctuary devoted primarily to the preservation of its namesake resident: the Komodo Dragon. Made up of nearly thirty islands in the Lessa Sundra chain, Komodo National Park is one of the most important wildlife reserves in Oceania. A major ecotourism destination, Komodo is a UNESCO World … [Read more...]
