The three largest marine protected areas (MPAs), which account for about half of the total The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Australia, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, and the Phoenix Islands Protected Area. One of the largest nearshore sandstone reefs in the southeastern United States
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument— larger than all of America’s national parks combined! The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is not only the largest conservation area in the U.S., it's one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. It's larger than all of America’s national parks combined!
The largest marine sanctuary is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument— larger than all of America’s national parks combined!
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. Video Player is loading.
Several MPAs are also located within the Great Lakes, created to protect cultural resources such as shipwrecks and historical artifacts.
MPAs serve to protect coastal and ocean habitats and species, while providing recreational opportunities. NOAA's national marine sanctuaries form one component of the MPA network. There are 15 sanctuary sites in areas ranging from American Samoa to Stellwagen Bank off Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
Marine protected areas span a range of habitats, including the open ocean, coastal areas, intertidal zones, estuaries, and the Great Lakes.
The vast majority of this area is located in the remote Pacific, home of two of the largest marine conservation areas in the world: Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and the Pacific Remote Marine National Monument.
Submarine canyons and seamounts are some of the most productive habitats in the deep sea, yet few have been explored. The Deep Connections 2019 expedition explored many of these features, including several within the Gully Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Canada, and the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, and the Frank R. Lautenberg Deep Sea Coral Protection Area within the U.S., providing important data that informs resource management. Video courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Deep Connections 2019. Download larger version (mp4, 315.5 MB).
The National Marine Protected Areas Center works to connect and strengthen MPAs both within the United States and internationally.
waters — restrict extractive uses like collecting or fishing in an effort to protect and sustain sensitive habitats, biodiversity, threatened species, or fisheries.
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 along the northeastern coast of North America help protect the whales that draw tourists from all over the world. Marine Protected Areas can provide relief from stressors like overfishing and habitat destruction. But just as fish move freely in the ocean, so does pollution.
However, only 3% of those MPAs are designated "no-take zones.". The vast majority are "multiple-use" and allow a variety of recreational and commercial uses within their boundaries. About 1.6% of ocean worldwide is protected in MPAs. Only 0.2% of those protected areas are "no-take" zones. MPAs vary greatly in size.
Common names for MPAs include, among others, “sanctuaries,” “parks,” and “reserves.”. These different types of MPAs provide varying degrees of protection that ranges from “no-take” zones where all extractive activity is prohibited, to “multi-use” areas that allow sport and commercial fishing.
Only 0.2% of those protected areas are "no-take" zones. MPAs vary greatly in size. Over 95% of protected water in the U.S. is located in "Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument," which encompases 356,893 square kilometers (139,797 square miles) off the northwestern coast of Hawaii.
Marine Protected Areas#N#Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are places in the ocean where human activities are more strictly regulated than in surrounding waters—similar to the outdoor parks that we have on land. These four videos, produced by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation and a network of 24 aquarium and research centers, explore MPAs in North America and highlight the many ways MPAs are connected to coastal communities.#N#Worldwide there are over 4,600 Marine Protected Areas that help to preserve marine life and sustain coastal communities. But not all are the same—“MPA” is an umbrella term for many forms of aquatic conservation for both salt and fresh water areas. Common names for MPAs include, among others, “sanctuaries,” “parks,” and “reserves.” These different types of MPAs provide varying degrees of protection that ranges from “no-take” zones where all extractive activity is prohibited, to “multi-use” areas that allow sport and commercial fishing. MPAs also vary in size, from small local preserves to large “big ocean” areas. At 356,893 square kilometers (139,797 square miles), Hawaii’s “Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument” is larger than all the U.S. national parks combined!#N#Video 1: Protecting Marine Life#N#All Marine Protected Areas are dedicated to the conservation of marine life, but the forms of protection they provide and types of ecosystems they help preserve are as varied as their geographic locations. This video explores four MPAs along the coasts of North America that provide safe passage and abundant food to a variety of marine life:
Along the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the Sian Ka’an MPA helps preserve mangrove forests, where branches offer a resting place for migrating seabirds and submerged roots provide habitat for fish and crustacean s to feed and mature. Channel Islands National Park - California, United States:
Scientists estimate that humans have removed as much as 90% of large predatory fish like shark, swordfish and cod. By encouraging conservation and sustainable fishing practices, Marine Protected Areas reduce overfishing and preserve fragile aquatic populations.
1.Representation: the protected areas should contain as many aspects of biodiversity (species, ecosystems, genetic variation, etc.) as possible
An area of land or sea dedicated by law or tradition to the protection of biodiversity and associated natural and cultural resources.
3. Utility: will it be possible to protect the area for future generations (value to people). The Cuban Crocodile, the world's most endangered crocodile, found in two inland freshwater swamps in Cuba, highly vulnerable due to the restricted nature of its distribution. Habitat destruction continues to encroach on the marshes where this species is found and competition with introduced and hybrid species poses further threats to survival.
Keystone XL Pipeline was stopped because the Republican representatives from Nebraska did not want the pipeline going through the Nebraskan Sand Hills.
A regional alliance that connects people and nature. Consists of more than 250 nonprofit and Corporate Council member organizations that work together to restore local nature and improve the quality of life for all living things by protecting the lands and waters on which we all depend
Indicator Species -- A species that is associated with an endangered biological community or a set of unique ecosystem processes, like the endangered northern spotted owl.
2. Whenever possible, land adjacent to protected areas should be acquired in order to reduce external threats to existing parks and to maintain critical buffer zones