The oceans need a break from us

We need to designate areas of the ocean as protected to help it recover from harmful human activities.

I want you to close your eyes and imagine the following. You are at the heart of the mighty Indian Ocean. All around you is blue, shimmering where the surface of the sea meets the sky. You are many, many kilometres away from land and yet just below your feet, perhaps only seven metres sits the seafloor like an inverted oasis. As you look at that sandbank below you see a giant meadow of seagrass, the largest in the world, swaying with the motion of the sea. Nearby, a group of pygmy blue whales swim through their breeding ground, sharks silently look for their next prey among the rich variety of wildlife that calls this place home. This incredible world we have transported to is called the Saya de Malha Bank. Scenes like this may feel a world away right now. But in a year where life has felt on hold, with many of us kept very close to home, the natural world has been a shining source of hope and comfort.