MPAs, protection and sustainability of marine ecosystems Hein Rune Skjoldal Institute of Marine Research Bergen Norway Seminar on MPAs Fisheries Forum, MS Trollfjord, 24-25 October 2006
Protection and use Protection is a prerequisite for use Useis apurpose of protection An MPA is a protected area MPAs come in a variety of types
What is a PA? UN CBD (Article 2) : Protected area means a geographically defined area which is designated or regulated and managed to achieve specific conservation objectives.
MPA (or MCPA) IUCN Any area of intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying water and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features, which has been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment.
IUCN Lessons learned It is not feasible in today s marine environment to divorce the questions of resource use and conservation, because marine natural resources and their living space are all sought now by many different users for many different purposes
IUCN Lessons learned Because of the highly connected nature of the sea, which effectively transmits substances and forcing factors, an MPA will rarely succeed unless it is embedded in, or is so large that it constitutes, an integrated ecosystem management regime
CDB COP Decision VII/5 Agrees that an effective marine and coastal biodiversity mangement framework... would comprise sustainable management practices and actions to protect biodiversity over the wider marine and coastal environment, including integrated networks of marine and coastal protected areas consisting of:
CDB COP Decision VII/5 (a) Marine and coastal protected areas, where threats are managed for the purpose of biodiversity conservation and/or sustainable use and where extractive uses may be allowed; and (b) Representative marine and coastal protected areas where extractive uses are excluded, and other significant pressures are removed or minimized to enable the integrity, structure and functioning of ecosystems to be maintained or recovered.
In short Sustainable use and protection of biodiversity over the wider area, No fishingmpas OtherMPAs
Conservation objectives What to protect? -Which features are the objects for conservation? What to protect against? - What are the threats to the biodiversity? -Which human activities and pressures need to be regulated and managed?
Conservation objectives Wilderness protection Preservation of species and genetic diversity - Protection of species - Conservation of within-species variabilitysubspecies and stocks Maintenance of environmental services - Ecological processes - Habitats
IUCN Categories I Strict protection A. Strict Nature Reserve B. Wilderness Area II National park III Natural Monument IV Habitat/Species Management Area V Protected Landscape/Seascape VI Managed Resource Protected Area
Management objectives Ia Ib II III IV V VI Scientific research 1 3 2 2 2 2 3 Wilderness protection 2 1 2 3 3-2 Preservation of species and genetic diversity 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 Maintenance of environmental services 2 1 1-1 2 1 Protection of specific natural/cultural features - - 2 1 3 1 3 Tourism and recreation - 2 1 1 3 1 3 Education - - 2 2 2 2 3 Sustainable use of resources from natural ecosystems - 3 3-2 2 1 Maintenance of cultural/traditional attributes - - - - - 1 2
Process 1987-1991 Working group on strategies, guidelines and criteria 1991-1995 Expert group for selection of candidate areas 1999 Government White paper 2001-2004 Advisory committee selection of areas for a national MPA plan
Selection criteria Representative (typical) Special (unique) Sensitive/vulnerable Threatened Refererence (scientific) (naturalness) (ecological/biogeographical importance) (international/national importance)