Russian delegation stymies creation of Antarctic conservation area

Antarctic fur seal seals are finding it harder to find krill to eat and, as a result, their numbers have crashed in the last decade. Photograph: Chris Johnson/PA

A major international conference on the Antarctic marine environment has failed to agree on new conservation areas despite hearing evidence the southern continent is facing a range of crises, including historically low sea ice levels, plummeting wildlife numbers and the first cases of bird flu.

Longstanding proposals to create nearly 4m sq km of marine protected areas did not receive consensus support largely due to opposition from the Russian government delegation, which arrived late due to visa-related delays and then repeatedly stalled discussions, according to multiple sources at the meeting in Hobart.