Dear reader,
We are now in the 12th year of producing MPA News and the field of marine protected areas has never been more dynamic. With international agreements calling for networks of MPAs to be in place by 2012, nations are accelerating their designation of protected areas. Likewise, the need for information on planning and managing MPAs shows no signs of letting up: more than 30,000 copies of MPA News have been downloaded from our website during this year alone.
We continue to work to serve the MPA field in new ways. This month marks the launch of MPA News in Spanish, our first non-English version of the newsletter. All issues dating back to January 2008 are now available en español. To access these translations, go to www.mpanews.org and follow the link to “issues”. Please give us your feedback on the translations at mpanews@u.washington.edu.
If neither English nor Spanish is your first language, I recommend trying the Google translation service at http://translate.google.com. You can cut and paste MPA News directly into it, then translate it into any of 57 languages. The translations are imperfect but usually adequate.
Also, thanks to all of you who participated in our recent reader survey! You offered excellent suggestions for ways to keep improving MPA News, and we will work to implement them. You also gave us very positive reviews: in fact 73% of you said MPA News has actually helped you do your job more effectively, which is the best compliment we can receive.
Please continue to let us know how we can serve you better. Thank you.
John B. Davis, Editor