Marine Protected Areas
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| | Photos copyright John Weller |
In 2002 and 2003, the World Summit for Sustainable Development and the 5th World Parks Congress each recommended that a global, representative network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) be established by 2012. This network should include areas in which at least 20% of each habitat is strictly protected (MPAs vary in terms of what types of activities are allowed within their boundaries). Currently, less than 1% of the world's oceans have been designated MPAs. In contrast, approximately 12% of the world's land has been included in some kind of protected area. This is far below what it should be, both in terms of meeting the 2012 goal and in terms of what our oceans need if they are to be protected from overfishing, pollution, and other environmental threats. ASOC strongly supports an acceleration in the creation of a global MPA network, and particularly urges that critical Antarctic habitats receive protection as soon as possible.
ASOC is particularly encouraged by the creation of a substantial MPA around the sub-Antarctic What is a Marine Protected Area (MPA)?
According to the IUCN, an MPA is a clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values. Like national parks, MPAs have differing levels of restrictions - some may allow recreational fishing, others none.
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Prince Edward Islands, which are under the jurisdiction of South Africa. This MPA is currently the sixth largest in the world, and the largest in the Antarctic. The islands are home to albatrosses, penguins, seals, and whales, and are an important biodiversity hotspot (read more about the PEI MPA here and here).
Although the process for designating MPAs within the Antarctic is more complicated because Antarctica is governed by treaty, ASOC hopes that South Africa's impressive commitment to environmental preservation will serve as an example for Antarctic Treaty Parties. ASOC has presented several papers to Treaty Parties at Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings concerning the urgent need for designating Antarctic MPAs. In our most recent paper on MPAs, we emphasized that the legal and procedural mechanisms needed for the Antarctic treaty system to designate MPAs have been long established. There exists no formal obstacle to concrete action on MPAs in the Antarctic. Our oceans cannot wait.
ASOC is particularly concerned that the Ross Sea, the world's most pristine stretch of ocean, is increasingly under threat from commercial interests. Accordingly, we believe that the Ross Sea should be given the highest priority for inclusion in a network of Antarctic MPAs. Visit our page on the Ross Sea here.
| Designating MPAs under the Antarctic Treaty System: The Madrid Protocol of the Antarctic Treaty provides a list of criteria by which Parties to the Treaty should evaluate areas to determine if they qualify as Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs). These criteria include (but are not limited to): areas representative of major terrestrial and marine ecosystems; areas that are the only known habitat for a species; area of outstanding aesthetic value; and areas of particular interest to science. Although many of the ASPAs designated thus far have been on land, the Protocol specifies that the process and criteria apply to marine areas as well. This does not mean that creating MPAs in the Antarctic is easier than it is elsewhere, but it does mean that at least there is a clearly defined and agreed set of criteria for selecting ASPAs. ASOC urges the Antarctic Treaty system to be mindful of the 2012 goal described above and to use the existing framework of the Madrid Protocol to protect a representative network of marine areas in the Southern Ocean. |
Learn more about MPAs and the Antarctic by reading official ASOC papers:
Marine Protected Areas - Steps Forward (XXX ATCM) (2007)
Designation of Marine Protected Areas within the Antarctic Treaty Area (XXXI ATCM) (2008)
Marine Protected Areas in the Antarctic (XXXII ATCM) (2009)
A Ross Sea MPA: Preservation for Science (XXXII ATCM) (2009)
Resources
Protect Planet Ocean The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s site includes descriptions of existing MPAs, general information about the science of MPAs, and other MPA-related resources.