TANALEE SMITH, SYDNEY AN alliance of environmentalists, marine scientists and former navy officers urged Australia yesterday to establish a vast conservation area in the Coral Sea to protect marine animals, reefs and Second World War history.

TANALEE SMITH, SYDNEY

AN alliance of environmentalists, marine scientists and former navy officers urged Australia yesterday to establish a vast conservation area in the Coral Sea to protect marine animals, reefs and Second World War history.

The Coral Sea Campaign proposes the creation of a 400,000-square-mile Coral Sea Heritage Park where fishing would be banned. If the government approves the park, it will be the world's largest protected marine area.

The sea, hosting more than 25 coral reefs and a network of underwater mountains and canyons, is historically important as the site of the pivotal 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea. The Allies scored a strategic victory by preventing Japanese forces from landing in New Guinea and likely curbing Japan's gains in the South Pacific.

"Its environmental significance and its historic importance as the site of the battle that turned the tide of war in our region make the Coral Sea a treasure worth protecting for future generations," said Imogen Zethoven, director of the Coral Sea Campaign, which is led by the independent non-profit Pew Environment Group.

Speakers at the launch of the campaign said the area is one of the few where significant populations of the endangered Hawksbill and Green sea turtles exist.

Retired Vice-Admiral David Shackleton, a Coral Sea Campaign partner and former chief of Australia's navy, also urged protection of the area to stem the decline of marine life and the onset of climate change.-AP