British Columbia publishes MPA inventory

The Canadian province of British Columbia has released an inventory of its provincial MPAs, offering a model that could be useful to practitioners pursuing their own MPA-inventory processes. The 560-page report Provincial Marine Protected Areas in British Columbia details a full range of values (environmental, cultural, recreational, and extractive) for each of the 104 MPAs it documents, and also provides these values for non-protected areas adjacent to each MPA. In addition, the report offers a GIS-based gap analysis of the provincial MPA system’s representativity. The report is available online in PDF format at http://srmwww.gov.bc.ca/dss/rpts/index.htm. For more information: Mark Zacharias (project manager), Decision Support Services, Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, 4th Floor, 810 Blanshard Street, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3E1, Canada. Tel: +1 250 356 7721; E-mail: Mark.Zacharias@gems6.gov.bc.ca.


US releases assessment of MPA management needs

MPA managers in the US are challenged by unclear goals and terminology and a lack of integration among agencies, according to a federal assessment of US MPA practitioners. Based on interviews with practitioners and stakeholders, the assessment provides an extensive list of obstacles faced by managers, including needs for research, mapping, information sharing, and enforcement. The 91-page Marine Protected Areas Needs Assessment Final Report was prepared for use as a planning tool by the National MPA Center, a federal program to support the development of a coordinated, national MPA network. Ultimately, the Center aims to use the assessment to foster relationships with governmental and nongovenmental entities to address the needs. The report is available online on the website for the National MPA Center’s Training and Technical Assistance Institute at http://www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/cls/mpa_training.html.


Northern Europe researchers to study wrecks where they lie

Archeologists in northern Europe are investigating environmental effects on the degradation of shipwrecks and developing ways to view, monitor, and preserve wrecks without bringing them to the surface. The EU-backed project will focus on four shipwrecks in northern Europe, representing a range of vessel types in various underwater environments. Technology will play a major role: each wreck will be filmed for scientific and general audiences, and researchers will explore various conservation methods, including the use of special tarpaulins to cover and protect the vessels. So far, none of the sites has an MPA associated with it, although such designations could be in store, according to project officials. For more information: Sallamaria Tikkanen, The Maritime Museum of Finland, Hylkysaari, 00570 Helsinki, Finland. Tel: +358 9 4050 9057; E-mail: sallamaria.tikkanen@nba.fi; Web: www.nba.fi/MUSEUMS/MARITIME/Merimeng.htm.


Parks Canada releases inventory of marine invertebrates

A new report from Parks Canada – the Canadian national park agency – provides a baseline survey of marine invertebrates in the waters surrounding the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve/Haida Heritage Site, on the country’s Pacific coast. Invertebrates represent roughly 90% of animal biodiversity in the waters of the Gwaii Haanas archipelago, and their harvest generates millions of dollars for the regional economy. In addition to providing an inventory of 2500 species, the report reviews local aboriginal knowledge of marine invertebrates and analyzes invertebrate issues relevant to future area management in the region. Marine ecologist Norman Sloan, a co-author, said he hopes the report will raise public awareness of invertebrates as the park agency and stakeholders discuss possible protections for the Gwaii Haanas waters. A limited number of free copies of the report Living Marine Legacy to Gwaii Haanas II: Marine Invertebrate Baseline to 2000 and Invertebrate-Related Management Issues are still available; to order, contact Norman Sloan, Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, P.O. Box 37, Queen Charlotte, BC V0T 1S0, Canada. Tel: +1 250 559 6342; E-mail: norm_sloan@pch.gc.ca.


Applications due for international coral grant program

Applications are due May 24, 2002, for the Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program, operated by the (US) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The program provides grants to international governmental and non-governmental entities working to protect coral reefs. For more information, go to http://www.coral.noaa.gov/.


Update

The e-mail address for Sibylle Riedmiller of Chumbe Island Coral Park Ltd., who was featured in April’s MPA News (“Stretching Your MPA Budget: How to Do More With Less Funding”) changed last month. Her new address is sibylle@chumbeisland.com.


Correction

There were two editorial errors by MPA News in the “Letter to the Editor” that ran in the April 2002 issue. The word “problems” was mistakenly omitted from the final sentence of the second paragraph. The sentence – which addressed the challenge of controlling pollutant flow to marine areas – should have read, “We might have success on the land side, but the air and current sides are often international (as well as large-scale national) problems, and not easily mitigated.” Also, the letter’s author was Stephen C. Jameson, not Stephen S. Jameson. The editor-in-chief apologizes for any confusion caused by these errors.