Chumash Heritage national marine sanctuary, a 4,543 sq mile expanse of ocean along the California coast, will now be protected

After years of campaigning by Indigenous Americans in central California, the US has finally approved the country’s first Indigenous-nominated national marine sanctuary, a 4,543 sq mile expanse of ocean that will protect marine life from mining and oil drilling.

The Chumash Heritage national marine sanctuary – which will be nearly four times the size of Yosemite national park – will stretch along 116 miles of the California coastline that supports a number of at-risk species, including southern sea otters, abalone and blue whales. The area is also home to critical kelp forests, which not only provide food and shelter for marine life, but also act as a carbon storage system – they can sequester up to 20 times as much carbon as terrestrial forests.