IUCN moves to help countries apply marine protection: By clarifying its standards, global body hopes to inspire more ocean safeguards

IUCN moves to help countries apply marine protection: By clarifying its standards, global body hopes to inspire more ocean safeguards

by | Aug 1, 2018

By Angelo O’Connor Villagomez, Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project senior officer

As more countries designate MPAs in their territories, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which for over 70 years has been the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to conserve it, has recently provided clarity to help countries more accurately report their MPAs to the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA).

IUCN moves to help countries apply marine protection: By clarifying its standards, global body hopes to inspire more ocean safeguards

Perspective | New management concepts at one of the world’s oldest MPAs: Building financial sustainability for the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park, The Bahamas

by | Aug 1, 2018

By Captain Joseph Ierna Jr.

It is time to challenge private and public sectors to direct funding resources to operate our protected areas. I am encouraged here at the ECLSP: we are on the forefront of setting standards in operating financially sustainable national parks, including eventually across The Bahamas’ national system of 32 sites. This is the future for protected areas.

IUCN moves to help countries apply marine protection: By clarifying its standards, global body hopes to inspire more ocean safeguards

MPA Training in a Nutshell: On building relationships with stakeholders

by | Aug 1, 2018

By Anne Nelson and the IMPACT team

Relationships built on trust between MPA management and stakeholders can strengthen community support for MPAs. By fostering such support, these relationships can help MPAs meet their management goals. 

Ideally the relationships extend broadly through local communities, resource users, and MPA managers and related agencies. Building relationships early and consistently across these groups can be a relatively simple, productive, and positive experience. Here are useful strategies we’ve observed from managers:

IUCN moves to help countries apply marine protection: By clarifying its standards, global body hopes to inspire more ocean safeguards

MPA Science Corner: Most of remaining marine wilderness is not in MPAs yet – MPA success and failure – Reefs that could survive climate change – Inefficient MPAs – Making permit decisions for MPA research

by | Aug 1, 2018

These recent articles on MPA-related science and policy are all free to access. Article: Jones K. R. et al. “The Location and Protection Status of Earth’s Diminishing Marine Wilderness.” Current Biology (2018) [Editor’s note: this paper is temporarily free to access....