Fact Sheet: Safeguarding Critical Ocean Habitats - Facts about Marine Protected Areas
January 12th, 1998
What is a marine protected area?
Marine protected areas range from small, highly regulated reserves that
protect threatened species and maintain natural processes to larger
multiple-use areas in which conservation is coupled with socio-economic
activities and concerns. As there are many different roles for marine
protected areas, so there are many different names, such as marine
park, marine reserve, marine sanctuary, the same names often being
interpreted differently in different countries. However, the basic concept
of a marine protected area is understood worldwide: an area of sea,
sometimes with its associated coastal area, which is protected from
damaging human activities either by law or by other effective means,
such as traditional customs or voluntary agreements.
Why do we need marine protected areas?
Less than one percent of the planet's marine surface has been
designated as protected, compared to over six percent of the land
surface. The need for marine protected areas to safeguard endangered
species, essential fisheries habitat, and key breeding and migration sites,
has never been so urgent. Marine protected areas also play an essential
role in sustaining commercially and locally important fisheries, reducing
conflict between different users of the marine environment, regulating
tourism and leisure activities, and providing alternative sources of income
through the creation of jobs.
WWF sees the establishment of a global network of ecologically
representative, well-managed marine protected areas as an essential
component of successful management of coastal and marine resources.
These should be established to protect critical habitats of threatened
and commercially important marine species, critical ecological processes,
and representative samples of natural coastal and offshore habitat.
How can marine protected areas help fisheries management?
The establishment of no-fishing areas, either as marine protected areas
themselves, or as zones within multiple-use protected areas, should also
be strongly encouraged. Recent scientific work has shown the value of
this approach as a fisheries management tool. Fish stocks build up
rapidly, and the size of target species increases once an area is
protected. The larvae of protected stocks are carried outside the
boundaries of the no-fishing area to replenish fishing grounds, and there
is evidence for migration of adults and juveniles across the boundaries
as stocks build up inside the area.
How well are marine protected areas managed?
Fewer than 50% of existing marine protected areas are effectively
managed. Reasons for this include insufficient financial and technical
resources and trained staff, lack of public support due to failure to
involve stakeholders in the establishment and management of the area,
inadequate enforcement of regulations, and impacts from activities taking
place outside the boundaries. Local communities have unique knowledge
and experience of the area, can play a role in enforcement and
monitoring, and may be able to benefit economically from the protected
area, thus taking pressure off over-exploited marine resources. Marine
protected areas work best when developed within the context of an
integrated coastal management plan. Such a framework can take into
account the fluid nature of the marine environment, impacts that originate
far from the protected area such as land-based sources of pollution, and
the migratory characteristics of many marine species such as turtles,
seabirds, and whales.
To ensure the implementation of a global network of marine
protected areas, WWF is therefore calling for:
The establishment of new marine parks and reserves to
safeguard threatened species and their habitats, including offshore
areas, transboundary protected areas and cetacean sanctuaries.
Improved management of existing marine protected areas, and
establishment of appropriate financial mechanisms to ensure their
long-term viability.
Designation of no-fishing zones to safeguard marine ecosystems
on which commercial fish species depend, to serve as an *insurance
policy' against overfishing, and to give depleted fish populations a
chance to recover.
The incorporation of marine and coastal protected areas within a
broader framework of integrated coastal management and multiple use
planning.
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