Johannesburg – Lewis Pugh has set his sights on Russia, pleading with the country to lead the world in protecting the Ross Sea.
The endurance swimmer completed the last of his five swimming challenges after having set the record for the most southerly swim in human history last month.
Pugh concluded his challenge on Sunday by swimming 500m in 0°C temperature water off the coast of Peter I Island in the Bellinghausen Sea. The Bellinghausen Sea is one of 13 seas that surround Antarctica.
Pugh said: “The last swim was tough, especially given the limited recovery time after the bruising encounter in the Bay of Whales. I am exhausted and sailing home.”
Speaking about the need to appeal to Russia, Pugh said: “Russia has a distinguished history in Antarctica. There are five Antarctic seas named after Russians and nine Russian scientific bases in operation there.
“If anyone understands the beauty and the fragility of Antarctica, they do.”
As a UN Environment Programme Patron of the Oceans, Pugh knows that Russia holds the key to granting marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Antarctic Ocean because the country chairs the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
“The aim of the five swims campaign was to bring the beauty and fragility of Antarctica into the hearts and minds of people around the world,” Pugh said.
“Over the next few months, I will be shuttling between CCAMLR nations urging policymakers in those key nations to agree to the MPA in the Ross Sea – and, moreover, to agree to a network of effective MPAs in Antarctica. My first port of call will be the Kremlin in two weeks.
“Russia has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead the world in preserving the waters around Antarctica. It would be a bold move, and it would send a positive and peaceful ripple around the globe.”
When he arrives in Russia, Pugh will be greeted by Slava Fetisov, one of Russia’s greatest sporting heroes and a former sports minister.
Fetisov said: “Our nation and people have a long-standing love and appreciation of Antarctica. Lewis’s extreme display of human endurance demonstrates that this is a love shared around the world.
“Now, more than ever, we must find common ground on the major issues facing the world and I look forward to welcoming Lewis to Moscow to discuss the future.”
The Star