Franz joseph land9/8/2023 ![]() This was an extraordinarily ambitious venture for those days, and well predated other serious attempts to reach the Pole. The schooner Tegetthof set sail from Tromsø in northern Norway in summer 1872, bound for the North Pole. It was 140 years ago this year that an Austro- Hungarian expedition stumbled entirely by chance on Franz Josef Land, the Arctic archipelago which is now Russian territory. The area will be open to vessel traffic, from cruise ships to fishermen to those looking for oil, gas, or seabed minerals.Where might you find the inventor of the telephone rubbing shoulders with an English queen, a Duke of Savoy and an Austrian archduke? The answer will come easily to those readers of hidden europe who are conversant with the history of polar exploration. There will no longer be any ice in the summer and there will likely be profound changes in populations of polar bears, fish, and other wildlife. "By the end of our lifetimes the Arctic will be unrecognizable," he says. The new park designation is particularly important because the Arctic is changing at unprecedented rates, thanks to global warming, says Rose. We're also in a time of healthy competition for ocean leadership." People are seeing the success of marine protected areas around the world and they want to do it themselves. Sala's expedition co-leader, Paul Rose, adds that the timing of the Russian and American announcements this week proves that "we're in a sweet spot for ocean conservation at the moment. "It's one of the wildest and most beautiful places I have seen, and dived, in my life and one of the most precious natural jewels in the Arctic." ( See photos of some of the unique sea creatures that live there.) "Franz Josef Land is one of those few places where one can see what the world would be like without humans," Sala adds. "This historical national park designation has shown Russia's commitment to the conservation of the Arctic environment, and sent a powerful signal to the other Arctic nations," says Enric Sala, a National Geographic Explorer in Residence who led a Pristine Seas scientific expedition there in 2013. Watch: Polar Bear Charges Nat Geo Photographers This includes "glacial and periglacial landscapes of the polar deserts and ecosystems of offshore shallow water and sea ice, Arctic fauna." The park "will contribute to the integrated conservation of the pristine islands and marine ecosystems of the northeastern part of the Barents Sea," the Russian government said in a statement. At 34,000 square miles (8.8 million hectares), the park is now the largest in Russia. ![]() Russia's park expansion was signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev Friday and increases the size of the protected area by 28,500 square miles (7.4 million hectares). The newly expanded park will protect habitat for such species as the Atlantic walrus, bowhead whale, polar bear, narwhal, and white gull. ![]() Yet the rocky, glaciated islands are home to stunning biodiversity. ![]() Made up of more than 190 islands, Franz Josef Land is a mostly uninhabited area that is encased in sea ice for much of the year. Coming on the same day that President Barack Obama designated a massive expansion of a marine reserve in the Hawaiian Islands, the Russian government has expanded the Russian Arctic (Russkaya Arktika) National Park to include Franz Josef Land, the world's northernmost chain of islands. ![]()
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