MPA News
US Creates World’s Second Largest MPA
President Clinton has designated a vast marine protected area around the coral-laden Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) — an MPA that now ranks as the largest protected area (either terrestrial or marine) in the US and the second largest MPA in the world. Clinton’s designation of the MPA in early December followed a 90-day public consultation process — ordered by the president last May (MPA News 1:9) — to develop recommendations for increasing protection of the NWHI’s coral ecosystems. The NWHI contain nearly 70% of US coral reefs. The newly created Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve spans 340,000 sq….
Multimedia “Toolkit” Makes Scientific Case for No-Take Reserves
WWF, an international conservation NGO, has published an information package designed to summarize in lay terms the scientific case for no-take marine reserves. Composed of a book, slide show, and overhead presentation, the “toolkit” is geared toward people who need to persuade others of the benefits of reserves. Its objective, as stated in the book’s preface, is to speed up the process of translating recent research into the creation of more reserves. The toolkit, titled Fully-Protected Marine Reserves, was created by Callum Roberts and Julie Hawkins of the University of York (UK). They said the idea for the toolkit evolved…
Coelacanths Discovered in S. African MPA; Tourism to Follow?
The discovery of three rare coelacanths in a South African marine protected area has led the national government to place emergency restrictions on access to the MPA. Officials are now examining how the fishes’ presence could be harnessed to increase tourism and research in the area. On 27 November, recreational scuba divers encountered and videotaped the coelacanths at a depth of 107 meters (351 feet) in the St. Lucia Marine Protected Area, off the east coast of South Africa. This is the shallowest site in the world at which these ancient fish have been found. South Africa is just the…
MPA Enforcement: Practitioners Employ Mix of High-Tech and Community-Based Strategies
For a marine protected area to be able to meet its goals, resource users must comply with its regulations. Achieving such compliance from users can be a constant challenge for MPA practitioners. Managers with narrow budgets generally must rely on public-education techniques to build community support for the MPA. Larger budgets allow for greater surveillance and policing. MPA practitioners are developing new techniques and using new technologies for addressing the challenges of compliance and enforcement. This month, MPA News surveys several managers and planners to ask what methods they are using to ensure that MPA regulations are followed. Enforcement in…
US Establishes Center to Coordinate, Implement MPA Science
The US federal government has established a center to improve communication between MPA scientists and managers. Called the Center for Marine Protected Area Science, the institution is designed to serve as a hub for initiating, supporting, and coordinating MPA science and policy analysis in the US.
Located in Santa Cruz, California, the center is scheduled to be fully operational by early 2001. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is responsible for managing it.
Science Panel Calls for More Reserves as Management Tools
Marine resource managers should increase their use of marine reserves, or no-take areas, as a supplement to conventional management tools, according to a new report from a committee of the US National Research Council (NRC). The report argues that the lack of experience with marine reserves should not stop managers from implementing them in an adaptive manner. “Declining or poorly managed fish populations and damage to marine habitats are discouraging signs that conventional ocean-management practices are insufficient,” said NRC committee chair Ed Houde in a statement following the report’s release. The report provides a survey of scientific evidence in support…
US Marine Sanctuaries Law Reauthorized
President Clinton signed a bill on November 13 to reauthorize the US National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA). The reauthorized NMSA entails some changes in the law, including a new requirement that the US’ existing national marine sanctuaries be deemed to have “sufficient resources” to implement their management plans before any new sanctuaries are designated. The reauthorized law also allows the US President to designate any coral reef in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) as a “coral reef reserve” to be managed by the US Secretary of Commerce. This is the second time this year the NWHI coral reef ecosystem has…
MPA Update: Council Releases Final Report on MPAs in Victoria
The Australian state of Victoria should set aside more than 6% of its waters in a network of “highly protected” (no-take) areas to safeguard spawning sites and other important habitats, according to the final report of an advisory council to the state government. Currently, 0.05% of Victorian waters serve as no-take areas. The report, produced by the Environment Conservation Council (ECC) of Victoria, marks the culmination of an investigative process begun in 1991 by a preceding council. The ECC advises the Victorian government on the use of public lands; its investigation came at the government’s request. Its final report incorporates…
Communications and MPAs: How Practitioners Are Raising Awareness of MPA Issues
The field of MPA planning and management may still be young, but its collective body of knowledge is growing quickly, through academic journals, textbooks, conferences, and workshops. Nonetheless, familiarity with the concept of MPAs among other stakeholders — including policymakers, fishers, and the general public — is relatively low. While practitioners discuss topics such as mooring buoy placement or self-financing schemes, many in the general public remain unaware that “marine protected areas” even exist. This month, MPA News examines how various practitioners are attempting to raise public awareness of MPAs for an array of purposes. Lack of public awareness A…
New Edition of IUCN “Orange Book” Reflects Changes, Challenges in MPA Field
In 1984 when Rod Salm and John Clark wrote the first edition of their textbook Marine and Coastal Protected Areas: A Guide for Planners and Managers, they didn’t expect they might still be working on it 16 years later. Yet that edition sold out, as did a second edition in 1989, and with demand for the book remaining high through the 1990s Salm and Clark agreed last year to undertake a third edition. That edition — with major revisions to reflect the past decade of developments in MPA practice — is now available. It is worthwhile reading for practitioners looking…