The US has joined more than 20 other countries in creating 40 new marine sanctuaries around the world. <br /><br /> The aim is to protect oceans against the threat of climate change and pollution.<br /><br /> Unveiled at a Washington conference, they will limit commercial fishing, oil and gas drilling and other human activity. <br /><br /> “Nature is actually resilient if we take care to just stop actively destroying it, that it will come back,” US President Barack Obama told those attending the event. <br /><br /> “And certainly the oceans can come back if we take the steps that are necessary. I saw it.”<br /><br /> In all, the new sanctuaries will cover almost 1.2 million square kilometres – an area around the size of South Africa. <br /><br /> Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is among those calling for bold action.<br /><br /> “Today our seas are warmer and far more acidic, weakening the shells of marine creatures and destroying coral reefs that we all depend on for life,” said DiCaprio.<br /><br /> “The only way we can avert this disaster is by scaling up innovative actions and solutions to these problems as quickly as possible.”<br /><br /> Obama has designated the first US marine reserve in the Atlantic Ocean, an area known for underwater mountains and canyons, off the coast of New England.<br />
