考研英语必读：英语时文阅读及翻译（环境保护）

The high seas are very special. It is here where you can find dense groupings of animals that derive their energy from sources other than the sun around volcanic vents on the deep sea floor. It is only here where you can find areas still free from introduced species, as in the seas around Antarctica. And it is here where you can find living organisms that are more than 8,000 years old, like many of the massive deep-sea corals. But what really sets the high seas apart from all other areas we know is the overwhelming lack of protection for any of this natural heritage. A United Nations meeting this week finally put the high seas on the map and on the agenda. Governmental officials from around the world gathered together with scientists, representatives from the fishing sector, conservation groups and other stakeholders to discuss conversation and sustainable use of amrine biological diversity in the high seas, covering 64 percent of the earths surface. They need to move quickly. Given the fragility of these environments, we simply do not have the luxury of time, but we can act before it is too late. As we continue to build our understanding of the oceans and life within, we must establish marine protected areas that extend beyond just the areas we know today to be valuable or threatened. We must place biodiversity conservation at the center of ocean governance, build the precautionary approach into the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and ensure that every activity in these areas beyond national jurisdiction——be it fishing, mining, transportation, tourism or research——is conducted in a sustainable manner that is fair to present and future generations. We must recognize that all of the geographical, geological and biological parts of the oceans are interrelated, interdependent and equal one tremendously significant ecosystem whole. Right now, we have this opportunity to prevent the extinction of countless species and ecosystems that are only just being discovered, let alone understood. Now is the time to protect our last undiscovered wilderness, the worlds final frontier——the high seas.