MPA News
Applying Conservation and Management Lessons from the Great Barrier Reef to the Baltic Sea Region: Interview with Åsa Andersson
In September 2008, the conservation organization WWF held a series of workshops throughout the Baltic Sea region. The workshops were designed to provide lessons in marine spatial planning and management to Baltic decision-makers and stakeholders, and were noteworthy for at least two reasons. One, they featured people who had led a process to re-zone Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (MPA News 5:10) – a place quite different from the Baltic in many ways. Two, these visiting Australians included not just management personnel from the Great Barrier Reef but a politician from there as well. Below, MPA News talks with…
U.S. Releases Final Framework for National MPA System
The U.S. has released the framework for its national system of marine protected areas. The framework outlines key components of the national system, including: A set of overarching national system goals and priority conservation objectives; MPA eligibility criteria and other definitions; A science-based public process for identifying conservation gaps; and A process for improving regional, national, and international coordination. At this time, the national system remains only a framework: although the U.S. has nearly 1800 designated MPAs throughout its waters, the national system does not yet officially contain any of these sites. First, MPA programs must nominate their eligible sites…
Notes & News
Report examines MPA networking initiatives A new report explores national and regional efforts to develop representative networks of MPAs, and offers recommendations for strengthening the planning of such networks worldwide. Published by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the UNEP Regional Seas Programme, the report reviews 30 nations’ networking initiatives, including progress made and lessons learned. “The many initiatives underway provide much experience on how MPA networks can be established in practice, and how they can be adapted to different needs and priorities,” writes report author Sue Wells. The 156-page report National and Regional Networks of Marine Protected Areas:…
The New IUCN Definition for “Protected Area”: Examining Its Effects on MPA Practice
At the World Conservation Congress last month, IUCN presented its new official definition for the term “protected area” (MPA News 10:4): “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.” Refined over several years of negotiations, the definition is intended to apply to all types of protected areas: terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine. Explanations of each of the definition’s component terms and phrases are provided in IUCN’s report Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories. The report – available at…
Certification Program Now Available for MPA Managers
Professionals working at a range of bureaucratic levels in MPAs in the Western Indian Ocean now may get certified as a way to demonstrate their skills and experience. Developers of the Western Indian Ocean Certification Programme for Marine Protected Area Professionals, or WIO-COMPAS, anticipate eventually adapting and applying it to other regions worldwide. The program was developed by the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) in partnership with the Coastal Resources Center (CRC) at the University of Rhode Island in the U.S. The first certification event, consisting of eight days of assessment and professional development, occurred in August 2008…
No-Take Marine Reserves as Fishery Management Tools: An Interview with Bob Steneck
In a report published by the United Nations University this past July, a team of researchers concluded that most coastal management strategies in use worldwide were largely ineffective at stopping environmental degradation, and called for changes. The report Stemming Decline of the Coastal Ocean: Rethinking Environmental Management criticized most coastal and marine resource management efforts as fragmented and insufficiently based on science. MPAs received particular criticism. “Marine protected areas are becoming the principal tool used for conservation management in the coastal ocean but they are poorly used,” concluded the authors. They said that although no-take marine reserves have been touted…
MPA Perspective: An Australian View on MPA Report Cards
Editor’s note: Trevor Ward is an adjunct senior research fellow at the University of Western Australia. Graham Edgar is an associate professor at the University of Tasmania. Hugh Possingham is professor of Mathematics and professor of Ecology at the University of Queensland. By Trevor Ward, Graham Edgar, and Hugh Possingham With the recent international impetus to increase the extent of MPAs in the world’s oceans, including the 2012 target of the Convention on Biological Diversity, a number of systems have been developed to monitor and evaluate progress toward global and national MPA targets. The latest example of these is the…
Letter to the Editor: Uninhabited islands should be focus of conservation efforts
Dear MPA News, We write in response to your September 2008 issue, in which you asked what MPA planning and management will be like in 10 years. The degradation of marine ecosystems, especially coastal systems such as coral reefs and mangroves, has been accelerating over the past half century. This is driven largely by human demographic pressures and consequent impacts on habitats and resources. In 10 or 20 years’ time, we will have reached a point where effective conservation will demand that urgent, difficult decisions are made. Complete and self-contained reserves with no human pressures will be one solution via…
Notes & News
Zoning plan and license-buyback program announced for Moreton Bay (Australia) The government of the Australian state of Queensland announced its rezoning plan for Moreton Bay Marine Park in October, featuring an expansion of no-take zones in the state-run MPA. Taking effect on 1 March 2009, the plan increases the no-take percentage of the 3400-km2 park from less than 1% to 16% of its total area. “With this plan we protect more of Moreton Bay, we protect marine habitat and therefore marine species, and we protect the legitimate rights of recreational and commercial fishers,” said Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. The plan…
MPA Tip: On Resolving Management Conflicts with Stakeholders
“MPA Tip” is a recurring feature that provides advice on MPA planning and management gathered from practitioners and publications. The following tip was adapted by MPA News from Managing Marine Protected Areas: A Toolkit for the Western Indian Ocean, published by the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA). Consisting of a series of themed briefs, the toolkit offers guidance on a diverse array of MPA management topics and is available online at www.wiomsa.org/mpatoolkit/Home.htm. Tip: A variety of conflicts may arise in relation to an MPA, most often connected to resource allocation. These conflicts may be between management and stakeholders,…