World's biggest wildlife reserve around Antarctica in campaign

BEIJING -- Climate change is real, and the Antarctica is feeling it. Here comes a good news: A proposed vast reserve could better protect penguins, whales, leopard seals and other species.

A global campaign is being launched to ban fishing in a 1.8 million square km area of the Weddell Sea and around the Antarctic Peninsula, in order to protect wildlife amid worsening climate change, the Guardian reported.

The idea was first put forward by the European Union, and has gained the support of Greenpeace, which is set to launch a new campaign Monday.

Greenpeace is a global nongovernmental organization aimed at changing attitudes and behavior to protect and conserve the environment.

The proposal will be presented at a conference of the Antarctic nations in Australia in October. The EU and more than 20 countries are members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, which will decide on the sanctuary proposal.

In 2016, a smaller marine reserve was created around the Ross Sea in the Antarctic to protect wildlife including Emperor penguins.