The British government has created the world's largest marine reserve around the Pitcairn Islands, one of the world's most remote locations. Offering unprecedented protection to more than 1,200 species of marine mammals, fish and sea birds in the South Pacific, the 322,138-square-mile reserve is located is approximately three-and-half times the size of the United Kingdom.

"With this designation, the United Kingdom raises the bar for the protection of our ocean and sets a new standard for others to follow," said Matt Rand, director of Global Ocean Legacy, a project of Pew and its partners that advocates for the establishment of the world's great marine parks. "The United Kingdom is the caretaker of more than 6 million square kilometers of the ocean -- the fifth-largest marine area of any country. Through this designation, British citizens are playing a vital role in ensuring the health of our seas."

A March 2012 scientific survey of Pitcairn's marine environment conducted by the National Geographic Pristine Seas project in partnership with Pew documented an untouched ecosystem including the world's deepest known living plant, a species of encrusting coralline algae found 1,253 feet below sea level. In addition, the reserve protects one of the two remaining raised coral atolls on as well as 40 Mile Reef, the world’s deepest known reef.

New species discovered

"Our first-ever scientific exploration of the area revealed entirely new species as well as an abundance of top predators like shark," said National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala, head of Society's Pristine Seas project. "It was like traveling to a new world full of hidden and unknown treasures, a world that will now be preserved for generations to come."

To defend the area from illegal fishing, the Bertarelli Foundation announced a five-year commitment to support monitoring of the Pitcairn Islands Marine Reserve as part of Pew's Project Eyes on the Seas. Utilizing a satellite monitoring system, government officials will be able to detect illegal fishing activity in real time.

It is the first time a reserve has been created that incorporates this level of monitoring and enforcement. Its establishment adds to a growing push by Western governments to protect the oceans from overfishing, pollution and unchecked development.

One of the world’s most remote island groups, the Pitcairn Islands is a U.K. overseas territory comprised of four islands: Pitcairn, Henderson, Oeno, and Ducie. The territory is situated 4,500 kilometres from New Zealand, its closest landmass. In April 2010, the British government created the Chagos Marine Reserve in the Indian Ocean, which had been the world’s largest continuous, fully protected area of ocean.