Obama to create world\\\'s largest marine sanctuary

WASHINGTON, Sept 25 (AFP): US President Barack Obama will create the world's largest marine sanctuary in the Pacific Ocean in a bid to protect sea life from climate change, the White House said Wednesday.

Obama will Thursday sign a proclamation designating the marine reserve in the south-central Pacific, thereby making it off-limits to development and commercial fishing, a statement said.

"The administration identified expanding the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument as an area of particular interest because science has shown that large marine protected areas can help rebuild biodiversity, support fish populations, and improve overall ecosystem resilience," the White House statement said.

Such areas are under threat from climate change because carbon pollution is causing the oceans to acidify, which can damage marine life including corals and harm ocean ecosystems, the statement added.

The proclamation will expand the reserve to six times its current size, resulting in 490,000 square miles of protected area.