What are Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)?

Definition of MPA

Sanganeb Atoll Lighthouse,
Mohammed A. Kotb, PERSGA A marine protected area is essentially a space in the ocean human activities are more strictly regulated than the surrounding waters - similar to parks we have on land.

There are many formal definitions of marine protected areas, but the most broadly used definition is the IUCN definition:

'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'

Types of MPA

There are many kinds of marine protected areas that meet this broad definition, and which can have a wide range of conservation objectives. Such objectives can include:

Ecological objectives:

• To ensure the long-term viability and maintaining the genetic diversity of marine species and systems;
• To protect depleted, threatened, rare or endangered species and populations;
• To preserve habitats considered critical for the survival and/or lifecycles of species, including ecnomically important species;
• To prevent outside activities from detrimentally affecting the marine protected areas;

Human objectives:

• To provide for the continued welfare of people affected by the creation of marine protected areas;
• To preserve, protect, and manage historical and cultural sites and natural aesthetic values of marine and estuarine areas, for present and future generations;
• To facilitate the interpretation of marine and estuarine systems for the purposes of conservation, education and tourism;
• To accommodate with appropriate management systems a broad spectrum of human activities compatible with the primary goal in marine and estuarine settings; and
• To provide for research and training, and for monitoring the environmental effect of human activities, including the direct and indirect effects of development and adjacent land-use practices.

The types of human activities that are regulated, and the strictness of the regulations, is therefore largely dependent upon the objectives of the MPA. The most strictly protected type of MPA is a marine reserve, where extraction of any resources is prohibited.

Types of regulation and MPA management techniques

MPA Community Surveillance, Bamboung There are a range of management techniques that MPA managers can use. These techniques can be broadly categorized into ways of prohibiting and limiting activity (Kenchington and Kelleher 1995):

• Prohibition: Absolute prohibition of access to a prescribed area is the simplest form of regulation. It is a form of control that establishes a clear yes/no basis – if a person is found in the area, he has violated the regulation. Prohibition of certain activities within a prescribed area is another prohibitive technique. For example, if fishing is prohibited in a specific area and a person is caught fishing there, he is in violation.
• Limitations: Both terrestrial and marine protected areas around the world often allow some level of human activity, especially if it involves recreation, nature appreciation, education, or research. The management challenge is to design and enforce measures that limit allowed human activities to levels that do not cause harmful or unacceptable impacts. Limitations are also more challenging than prohibitions – they are more complex for area users to understand and may be more difficult for managers to enforce. However, limiting rather than prohibiting activities in an area is usually more acceptable to area users and may be more easily implemented. Limitation by spatial control involves regulating activities specifically to a part or parts of the MPA. 
  • Zonal management: Spatial control of activities.
  • Temporal control: Management changes over time, such as a closed fishing season. For example, this may be used to protect spawning areas for fish or breeding habitats for seabirds.
  • Equipment restriction: Regulation of the use of equipment or technology that is efficient for its purpose in the short term but damaging to resources in the long term (e.g., trawl restrictions).
  • Quotas: Setting limits on the allowable harvest with the goal of leaving enough of the resource to replenish itself. Quotas are most commonly applied towards fishing.
  • Licenses or permits: Issuing permission, through official documentation, for a person or people to engage in specific activities in the MPA. Licenses and/or permits can be issued based on skill, resource allocation, or other characteristics.

Most management systems for MPAs will use a variety of management approaches to achieve the MPA objectives.

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