The importance of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in ocean conservation.
Written by Lauren Ackermans (Geographer with a heart for marine restoration)
Over 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by oceans, home to diverse ecosystems that provide essential services supporting human society, health, and the economy. However, growing pressures from climate change, overfishing, and pollution are putting these ecosystems at risk. To protect these vital resources, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have become a crucial tool in global ocean conservation efforts. Discover how Go Ocean is advocating for MPAs and learn how you can make a difference yourself.
What is a Marine Protected Area (MPA)?
A Marine Protected Area is a defined region designated and managed for the long-term conservation of marine resources, ecosystems services, or cultural heritage. MPAs support nature by allowing ecosystems to recover, leading to increased biodiversity, healthier fish populations, and greater resilience to climate change. They can vary in size and context, but are generally designed with some conservation goals in mind. MPAs can provide different levels of protection by regulating human activities such as fishing, diving, and boating.
How is a Marine Protected Area established?
MPAs have been established as an answer to the global trends threatening the marine environment. Think of overfishing, littering, water pollution, and global climate change. All of them lead to declines in the population of fish, marine mammals, corals, and in general the marine ecosystem. They occur through the identification by the government of areas that require protection due to their ecological, cultural, or economic importance.
The global coverage of MPAs is around 8.34%. However, less than 2% of the oceans are declared ‘no-take areas’. These areas are the most restrictive type of marine protection and are completely off-limits to any extractive activity such as fishing, mining, drilling, or others.
There has been a significant increase in the number and area of MPAs over the past decades. Since 2000, the global MPA has increased more than 10 times, from about 2 million km² (0.7% of the oceans) to 30.26 million km² (8.34%) by 2021. This growth is mainly due to the establishment of very large MPAs of more than 100,000 km², such as those around the US overseas territories and the Cook Islands.
MPAs are widespread, with the largest networks found in the United States, Australia, France, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, particularly in their national waters. Establishing MPAs in international waters is more challenging due to legal and political complexities.
Why are Marine Protected Areas important?
MPA networks play a crucial role in climate change mitigation and adaptation by maintaining and restoring ecological and social resilience. MPAs can contribute to the following elements:
Carbon storage (blue carbon)
MPA networks in coastal habitats like mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes help prevent emissions of greenhouse gases by protecting these areas from degradation whereby CO₂ is released. They also promote carbon capture by restoring damaged coastal ecosystems, contributing to blue carbon — the carbon stored in ocean and coastal environments. Did you know that marine ecosystems, such as seagrass beds, mangroves and coral reefs, can store more CO₂ than forests on land? For example, mangroves can store up to 10 times more.
Coastal protection and decrease in vulnerability to climate change
MPAs that protect coastal habitats like barrier islands, coral reefs, mangroves, and wetlands help reduce vulnerability to climate change. They act as natural buffers against threats such as sea level rise, storms, floods, and coastal erosion by absorbing incoming wave energy, stabilizing coastlines by their dense root system, trapping sediments and storing excess rain and seawater.
Biodiversity and food security
Although MPAs cannot prevent all climate change impacts, they reduce stress on marine ecosystems, helping species adapt and survive. By connecting protected areas, MPA networks support biodiversity, strengthen food security, and provide important refuges for endangered species.
The spill-over effect
One of the unique advantages of MPAs is the spill-over effect: a phenomenon where the benefits of protection extend beyond the MPA boundaries. As fish populations grow and ecosystems recover within the protected zone, marine species naturally move into surrounding waters. This not only supports biodiversity outside the MPA but also enhances local fisheries, benefiting coastal communities and economies.
This positive side effect is generally more pronounced in marine environments compared to protected areas on land. While land-based protected zones are often confined by human development and physical barriers, the ocean’s fluid and interconnected nature allows for greater movement of species. As a result, MPAs have the potential to support surrounding ecosystems and communities in a way that terrestrial protected areas cannot always match.
What challenges are Marine Protected Areas currently facing?
MPAs currently face several challenges, including:
- Lack of resources: Many MPAs lack sufficient human and financial resources to implement effective conservation and management measures.
- Uneven distribution: 80% of MPA coverage is concentrated in just seven countries, leading to uneven global protection.
- Lack of connectivity between MPAs: Many MPAs are isolated and not part of a connected network, which limits the movement of species and reduces the effectiveness of conservation efforts.
- No comprehensive framework for international waters: A comprehensive framework for establishing MPAs in international waters is still lacking, despite covering more than half of the planet.
- Ecological insufficiency: MPAs that are too small or poorly designed cannot protect enough habitat or species, often due to a lack of planning or ecological data.
- Poor planning and management: MPAs without clear goals or proper management fail to achieve conservation objectives, often due to political pressures or inadequate enforcement resources.
- Degradation of surrounding ecosystems: If the ecosystems surrounding MPAs are polluted or overused, the protected area itself becomes weakened.
- Unintended harm and displacement: Protecting certain areas may push harmful activities to unprotected zones, especially when local communities or industries are not properly consulted.
- False illusion of protection: Some MPAs appear protected but lack effective management or enforcement, often designated for political or reputational reasons without real protective measures in place.
What needs to change?
Strengthening political commitment at national, regional, and international levels can ensure that MPAs are effectively governed and sufficiently resourced. However, the lack of strictly and permanently protected MPAs hinders our ability to fully support climate change adaptation and mitigation. While better ocean protection is vital to address issues like ocean warming, significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions remain necessary to tackle the root causes of climate change.
How can I help?
Go Ocean actively contributes to this global effort by focusing on restoration projects that enhance the effectiveness of MPAs. Our work — ranging from coral reef restoration in Indonesia to mangrove planting in Madagascar and biodiversity enhancement in the North Sea — accelerates the recovery of degraded ecosystems, boosts biodiversity, increases climate resilience, and supports coastal communities and fishermen.
Everyone can contribute to our mission by directly participating in the projects or spreading awareness about ecosystem restoration and marine conservation — potentially stimulating further MPA-action on the governmental level. By supporting Go Ocean, you play a part in safeguarding our planet’s blue lungs for future generations.
Written by Lauren Ackermans
“I am a geographer driven by a strong passion for marine restoration. Ready to make a difference, I support Go Ocean in their mission to protect and restore our oceans and marine ecosystems.”
Sources:
Agardy, T., Di Sciara, G. N., & Christie, P. (2011). Mind the gap: addressing the shortcomings of marine protected areas through large scale marine spatial planning. Marine Policy, 35(2), 226-232.)
Dahmouni, I., & Sumaila, R. U. (2023). A dynamic game model for no-take marine reserves. Ecological Modelling, 481, 110360.)
Edgar, G. J., Russ, G. R., & Babcock, R. C. (2007). Marine protected areas. Marine ecology, 27, 533-555.
Marine Protected Areas | Marine Stewardship Council
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration https://www.noaa.gov/
Protected planet: Explore the World’s Protected Areas
Marine protected areas and climate change – resource | IUCN: https://iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/marine-protected-areas-and-climate-change
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