Alternative Terminology and Importance Economically
An alternative definition from the IUCN of an MPA is, "a clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated, and managed through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values." Marine protected environments are strong tools ensuring the environment and marine biodiversity. They are not the end. The increasing pressure and stress the oceans are now under, stemming from "the impact of extractive industries, localised pollution, and changes to its chemistry (ocean acidification) resulting from elevated carbon dioxide levels, due to our emissions," are further evidence as to why MPAs may be the ocean's single greatest hope in global protected area action. Action must be taken on a global politically social scale for MPAs to work efficiently. MPAs if enacted rightfully, will bring insurance to fisheries and marine environments globally. Complications will arise, as always in matters of the environment. Conflicts of interest of fisherman, as seen in small Pacific Islands. MPAs in these areas will help economically. MPAs can play a major role economically in Pacific Islands whether its fishing,restoration, or tourism. If MPAs are implemented and managed properly by locals on the coral reefs in these Islands, their economy's will prosper. Most of these island fisherman use harmful ways to catch fish in the reefs. With MPAs protecting these areas through NTA(no take areas), limiting overfishing and false methods, fish and the reefs will flourish as they once did. MPAs are meant to not only protect the marine life but also protect social welfare. With MPAs implemented and managed properly, seen through new technological advances and word spread globally, we will see results like the results seen on Apo Island. They made 1/4 of their reef an MPA allowing fish to breed and thrive jump starting their economy again. This was shown in the film, Resources at Risk: Philippine Coral Reef.
The United States Executive Order 13158 in May 2000 established MPAs, defining them as;
"Any area of the marine environment that has been reserved by federal, state, tribal, territorial, or local laws or regulations to provide lasting protection for part or all of the natural and cultural resources therein."
Most definitions suggest that in order to be designated a marine protected area, the site must be set aside principally for conservation. Several types of compliant MPAs can be distinguished:
- A totally marine area with no significant terrestrial parts.
- An area containing both marine and terrestrial components, which can vary between two extremes; those that are predominantly maritime with little land (for example, an atoll would have a tiny island with a significant maritime population surrounding it), or a marine area that is mostly terrestrial. In the case of the latter, whether or not it is considered a 'Marine' Protected Area is largely debatable.
- Marine ecosystems that contain land and intertidal (land that is frequently covered by water) components only. For example, a mangrove forest would contain no open sea or ocean marine environment, but its river-like marine ecosystem nevertheless constitutes the definition.
The Convention on Biological Diversity attempted to solve the uncertainty in classifying marine protected areas by defining the broader term of marine and coastal protected area (MCPA);
"Any defined area within or adjacent to the marine environment, together with its overlying water and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features, which has been reserved by legislation or other effective means, including custom, with the effect that its marine and/or coastal biodiversity enjoys a higher level of protection than its surroundings."
Different definitions may be altered by minute differentiating factors, for example, some may need at least some part of the area lies below low tide, while others require only that it be at least near the shoreline. The categories they are then placed into are equally complex, and dictate the management and usage of marine protected areas on a categoric scale differing between whether they can permit recreational and/or extractive uses, or are exclusively reserve for conservation or scientific research. The International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) attempts to encompass these variations by defining seven categories of protected area, based on management objectives and four broad governance types.
| Cat | IUCN Protected Area Management Categories: |
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Strict nature reserve A marine reserve usually connotes 'maximum protection', where all removals of resources are strictly prohibited. In some countries such as Kenya and Belize, marine reserves allow for low-risk forms of to sustain local communities. Though this suggests an area of lower protection, these reserves maintain their categorical status which iterates their biological importance. |
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Wilderness area |
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National park Marine parks lay a high emphasis on the protection of ecosystems but have been known to allow light human use. A marine park may prohibit fishing or extraction of resources of any kind, but could possibly allow recreation. However some marine parks, such as those in Tanzania, are zoned and activities such as fishing are only allowed in particularly low risk areas. |
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Natural monuments or features Established to protect historical sites such as shipwrecks and cultural sites such as aboriginal fishing grounds. |
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Habitat/species management area Established to protect a certain species, to benefit fisheries, rare habitat, as nursing grounds for fish, or to protect entire ecosystems. |
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Protected seascape Limited active management assigned, as with protected landscapes. |
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Sustainable use of natural resources |
These categories may also encompass the following;
- World Heritage Site (WHS) – an area exhibiting extensive natural or cultural history. Maritime areas are poorly represented, however, with only 31 out of over 800 sites.
- Man and the Biosphere – This UNESCO program promotes "a balanced relationship between humans and the biosphere." Under article 4, biosphere reserves must "encompass a mosaic of ecological systems", and thus combine terrestrial, coastal, or marine ecosystems. In structure they are similar to Multiple-use MPAs, with a core area ringed by different degrees of protection.
- Ramsar site – These sites must meet certain criteria for the definition of "Wetland" to become part of a global system. These sites do not necessarily receive protection, but are indexed by importance for later recommendation to an agency that could designate it a protected area.
While 'area' refers to a single contiguous location, terms such as "network", "system", and "region" that group MPAs are not always consistently employed."System" is generally more often used to refer to an individual MPA, whereas "region" is defined by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre as:
"A collection of individual MPAs operating cooperatively, at various spatial scales and with a range of protection levels that are designed to meet objectives that a single reserve cannot achieve."
At the Convention on Biological Diversity 2004, the agency agreed to the use of "network" on a global level, and the use of system on the national and regional level. The global level is to be used as a mechanism to establish regional and local systems but carries no authority or mandate, and all of the work lies within the "system".
No take zones (NTZs), are areas such as New Zealand's marine reserves, where all forms of exploitation are prohibited and severely limits human activities. Generally, a no take zone can cover the whole MPA, or specific vulnerable portions that enjoy elevated protection. Related terms include; specially protected area (SPA), Special Area of Conservation (SAC), the United Kingdom's marine conservation zones (MCZs), or area of special conservation (ASC) etc. which each have specific restrictions associated with them.
Read more about this topic: Marine Protected Area
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