France, June 9 -- This brings to 14.68 percent the proportion of French maritime waters under strict protection, a designation that prohibits or strictly limits activities such as fishing, extraction, and tourism.

"We are moving much closer to the objective we set for ourselves at the UNOC (the United Nations Ocean Conference in June 2025) of reaching 14.8 percent by the end of this year," according to the Minister for Ecological Transition, Monique Barbut, who made the announcement alongside the Minister Delegate for the Sea and Fisheries, Catherine Chabaud.

Barbut was speaking at the opening of the "Neptune Forum," which aims to be the "Davos of ocean exploration," and which brought together scientific experts, diplomats, representati...