When did marine protection begin?

The tradition of managing fish stocks with temporary no-take zones isn’t new: temporary bans on fishing have traditionally been imposed by indigenous communities to maintain sustainable levels of harvest. Although such bans were driven by the need to protect food resources rather than protect marine biodiversity, the same method can be applied with great effect for ocean conservation.

Only in the late 19th century did the idea of protection enter government policy. Since 1872, when the first national park was created in the United States, recognition of the benefit of protecting areas has led to national governments assigning some degree of protection to around 130,000 areas around the world. Extending the concept of national parks from the terrestrial to the oceanic has however been a slow development and only recognized as a conservation tool in recent years.

The goal to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030 was adopted in 2022 in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed at the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. In an ideal world, at least 50% of the ocean would form one enormous and connected MPA. free from any form of exploitation. Just imagine how much good that would do the ocean!

MPA levels of protection

Different MPAs provide different levels of protection, sometimes MPAs are even divided into different zones with varying degrees of protection: in some zones fishing is allowed, in others no human entry at all is permitted. Fully or highly-protected MPAs (currently under 3% of the established MPAs) prohibit fishing, mining, drilling, or other extractive activities and are often used for research purposes, while MPAs with the lowest level of protection allow human activity and some resource extraction.

Fully and highly protected areas result in the greatest conservation benefits, while areas with less regulation and more human activity actually provide minimal conservation benefits. The size and duration of MPAs is important: large MPAs are far more effective and those established for periods of more than 10 years see the best results in recovery, including a spill-over effect into adjacent waters. Their connectivity is also important: a network of connected MPAs will support ecosystems far more effectively than individual areas surrounded by extractive zones.

The path to establishing an MPA is complicated. All stakeholders need to be informed, consulted and involved in the process, without the support of local fishers, for example, an MPA will inevitably fail. Those which actually involve all stakeholders in the creation and management of the protected area have seen the greatest results. Once created, MPAs need effective management and close monitoring, a further challenge, calling for both human and financial resources to implement the conservation and management measures effectively - these are, unfortunately, often lacking.

It is also important to realise that MPAs are but one tool in marine conservation, they neither protect against invasive species, nor do they prevent pollution or climate change, but they do allow for pockets of recovery and boost marine ecosystem resilience.

High Seas MPAs

The protection of waters within the jurisdiction of coastal States is one thing. The idea of creating MPAs in areas lying beyond national jurisdiction was first highlighted at the Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, when the need to maintain the productivity and biodiversity of important and vulnerable marine areas beyond national jurisdiction was recognised and a target date of 2012 set for the completion of an effectively managed, ecologically representative network of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas. Over twenty years later, the newly-drafted High Seas Treaty establishes a procedure for the establishment of Area Based Management Tools, including Marine Protected Areas, as one means of ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, for the present and in the long term.

By establishing a “comprehensive system of area-based management tools, with ecologically representative and well-connected networks of marine protected areas” the treaty aims to “[p]rotect, preserve, restore and maintain biodiversity and ecosystems, including with a view to enhancing their productivity and health, and strengthen resilience to stressors, including those related to climate change, ocean acidification and marine pollution”. Proposals to establish ABMTs “formulated on the basis of the best available science and scientific information and, where available, relevant traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, taking into account the precautionary approach and an ecosystem approach” are to be submitted to the secretariat. The Conference of Parties will decide on the establishment of ABMTs, reports on their establishment and development shall be submitted to the secretariat, and will be monitored and reviewed by the Scientific and Technical Body.

See the extent and types of protection in areas beyond national jurisdiction in the Marine Conservation map

Information on the negotiation process for the High Seas Treaty may be found on the UN BBNJ page here

ProtectedSeas Navigator is an open access interactive map of  marine life protections, including all coastal nations and the High Seas. It is the only resource that includes standardized regulatory detail, including level of fishing protection for over 21,000 areas worldwide. Produced and maintained by ProtectedSeas, Navigator enables global comparisons and trend assessments.  Explore the map at https://navigatormap.org