Marine Protected Areas in Canada
Canada lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to marine conservation. Australia and New Zealand are world leaders in safeguarding the marine environment. The United States has also championed marine conservation through the designation of approximately 1,800 federal, state, and local MPAs, not to mention the recently designated Hawaiian Islands Marine Reserve which is now the world’s largest MPA at 34 million hectares.
In Canada, the federal government is required under national and international law to establish a national network (federal-provincial-territorial network) of MPAs by the year 2012. However, the federal government has not defined what constitutes a network nor have they set targets area for protection. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is mandated under the Oceans Act to take the lead on establishing the national network of MPAs in collaboration with Parks Canada and Environment Canada. So far, less than 1% of Canada’s Oceans are protected. This is unacceptable. To learn more about Canada’s lack of progress in MPA designations, read the report by CPAWS-BC: “Challenges and Opportunities in Progress towards Canada’s Commitment to a National Network of MPAs by 2012” or the summary version: “Myth and Madness: Conquering the Tragedy of Marine Protection in Canada”.