MPA News
More outcomes and insights from IMPAC3
French Polynesia announces process to designate a 700,000-km2 MPA; New Caledonia reiterates intent for large MPA
At the MPA-focused ministerial meeting following IMPAC3, the government of French Polynesia announced that a process is underway to designate nearly 700,000 km2 of the waters around its Marquesas Islands as a protected area. The MPA is likely to be multi-use, although details on its management or zoning have not yet been decided. "This protected and managed marine area will be based on a desire to preserve a unique heritage, but also on sustainable development for the benefit of people," said the country's minister of marine resources, Tearii Alpha. The French Polynesia announcement (in French) is at http://web.presidence.pf/index.php/mrm-filtre/630-la-polynesie-dans-le-concert-mondial-pour-la-preservation-des-aires-marines.
Regional recognition system for well-managed MPAs is already underway in Coral Triangle region
In our November-December 2013 issue, MPA News profiled two programs that aim to recognize (or certify) good management of MPAs worldwide, site-by-site – the IUCN Green List of Well-Managed Protected Areas, and the Global Ocean Refuge System developed by the Marine Conservation Institute.
While those programs remain in development, a regional recognition system for well-managed MPAs is already underway in Southeast Asia and Melanesia. Launched in August 2013, the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System Framework and Action Plan (CTMPAS) aims to foster the development of a network of effectively managed MPAs across the region's six countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste). The recognition system considers a range of factors from biodiversity criteria, to governance, to the fulfillment of fisheries and climate adaptation needs, to connectivity linkages within the region, and more.
Perspective: Designating Marine Conservation Zones in England – a phased approach
By Sue Wells, Natural England
As described in MPA News November-December 2013, 27 new MPAs were designated in England in November 2013. Called Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), these are a new type of MPA for the UK, designed to complement the existing MPA designations and to contribute to the developing UK MPA network. As described by Jen Ashworth in MPA News January-February 2011, recommendations for MCZs were developed by four regional stakeholder projects working concurrently so that the planning for this new network involved an "all-at-once" approach.
Notes & news: Great Barrier Reef – Marine World Heritage – MPA governance – Climate change and MPAs – European MPA coverage
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park approves dredging plan
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has approved a proposal to dump three million cubic meters of dredge spoils inside the marine park area. The dredge spoils, to be produced during the substantial expansion of a coal export terminal at Abbot Point (adjacent to the park), could smother nearby coral and seagrass habitats, according to more than 200 scientists who urged GBRMPA in a letter to oppose the proposal (www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-29/scientists-lobby-to-halt-expansion-of-queensland-port/5225068).
Australian Government scraps management plans for new national system of marine reserves
In separate decision, Government approves major coal terminal along Great Barrier Reef
The new Coalition Government in Australia, elected by national vote in September, has scrapped management plans developed by the prior Labor Government for most of the nation's representative system of MPAs. The impacted MPAs are the 33 sites that were designated in 2012 by the Labor Government. The dropped management plans would have taken effect in July 2014.
The coming age of MPA certification? Two programs — Green List and GLORES — take shape at IMPAC3
To certify something means to confirm that it meets a particular set of criteria. In the field of marine conservation, the existing certification programs tend to focus on sustainability. The Marine Stewardship Council, for example, certifies that particular fisheries meet the council’s criteria for sustainable harvests. The Blue Flag program (blueflag.org), another example, certifies that beaches and marinas meet the program’s strict criteria for water quality, environmental education, and other services. In the MPA field to this point, certification programs have been very limited, both in number and focus. The UNESCO World Heritage Programme effectively certifies whether certain sites meet…
A proposed no-take MPA where 100% of the citizens support it? Meet the Pitcairn Islands
It is not often that an MPA proposal receives unanimous support from the nearby community, particularly when the proposal is for a large no-take area. But the unique circumstances surrounding the Pitcairn Islands – a remote UK territory in the South Pacific, midway between New Zealand and Peru – have contributed to why this site may be the next very large MPA to be designated in the world. Like most remote island territories, the Pitcairns have a sizable EEZ (836,000 km2) and a small human population (50 people). Most of the Pitcairns’ inhabitants are descendants of the mutineers of the…
More developments from IMPAC3: Official MPA Map – Ministerial conference – French commitments – Hope Spots
Launch of Official MPA Map, a visual tally of global MPA coverage
A new map produced by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) and the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) illustrates global MPA coverage, now estimated to be at 2.8% of the world ocean. Taken together the coverage area is larger than continental Europe, but still falls far short of the World Convention on Biological Diversity target of 10% global coverage by 2020.
Launched at IMPAC3, the Official MPA Map can be viewed or downloaded at www.protectplanetocean.org/official_mpa_map. It is based on the World Database on Protected Areas, which is administered by the WCMC.
Building credible, effective MPA enforcement in the Caribbean: An interview with Jayson Horadam
Jayson Horadam is the Senior Consultant at MPA Enforcement International, a firm that advises MPAs on enforcement programs, management, and leadership, particularly in the Caribbean region (mpaenforcement.com). Horadam has a quarter-century of experience in marine law enforcement and natural resource protection. He began his career in 1989 as an enforcement officer in what later became the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, in the US. In 2002, Horadam was named the first captain of the sanctuary’s Enforcement Team, directing a 19-member squad in patrolling and protecting 9500 km2 of sea. MPA News: Why did you start your company, MPA Enforcement International?…
Notes & news: Debate on marine reserves – England – CCAMLR – Connectivity conservation – Great Barrier Reef – US MPAs – LMMA lessons
Transcript available from debate on environmental impact of marine reserves More than 800 audience members attended our 8 October 2013 online debate on the total environmental impact of no-take marine reserves, featuring Callum Roberts and Ray Hilborn. Roberts argued that the impact of reserves is positive, while Hilborn argued it could be negative. The debate transcript is at http://openchannels.org/node/4410. The transcript also includes the parallel discussions that occurred within the audience during the debate. England gets 27 new MPAs In November, the UK’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced the designation of 27 new marine conservation zones…