In the vast expanse of our oceans, global analysis reveals the effectiveness of marine protected areas in conservation efforts.
Marine Protected Areas: A Closer Look
A recent study, published on May 9 in Conservation Letters, highlights that merely one-third of the world’s marine protected areas (MPAs) enjoy either “high” or “complete” protection.
Examining the 100 largest MPAs, constituting 203 separate zones and representing 89.2% of global MPA surface area and 7.3% of the world’s oceans, researchers found that only 35.7% of these marine zones hold “high” or “complete” protection status, encompassing a mere 2.6% of the world’s oceanic expanse. Another 36.9% of these zones remain subject to activities with substantial ecological footprints, such as extractive practices, mooring, infrastructure development, fishing, and aquaculture, which are deemed incompatible with biodiversity conservation efforts.
Furthermore, a quarter of all MPAs either lack adequate regulations and management plans or possess insufficient protection measures. Despite the substantial increase in MPA declarations by states over the past two decades, many still lack effective management strategies, allowing high-impact activities to persist within their boundaries.
Global Management Challenges and Future Directions
Merely designating extensive areas as MPAs does not guarantee adequate protection levels. The study also reveals that numerous countries, including Australia, Brazil, Chile, France, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have designated a significant portion of their MPAs in remote regions and overseas territories, affecting 62.4% of highly protected marine areas.
This allocation of MPAs in remote regions risks diverting attention from more vulnerable sites exposed to harmful activities. Therefore, the study suggests refraining from categorizing areas lacking management measures or exposed to incompatible activities as MPAs and prioritizing actual protection levels as a classification criterion.
According to the World Database on Protected Areas, as of May 2024, there were 18,200 MPAs globally, covering 8.01% of the ocean’s surface, with varying management and protection regimes.
Debates surrounding the effectiveness and efficiency of MPA protection measures, as well as their ecological and socio-economic benefits, persist. The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity had set a target in December 2022 to protect 30% of marine areas, known as the “30×30” goal.
