MAKING WAVES IN MARINE PROTECTION

Published on Mar 09 2018 

If your twitter feed is anything like mine, it is populated by ocean news and stories; some good and some bad. Media such as the video of a diver swimming through a cloud of plastic and debris in Bali or the heartbreaking news of the North Atlantic right whale being on the brink of extinction, can leave you feeling like all hope for the ocean is lost. Scattered throughout these stories of doom and gloom are exciting ocean discoveries like a “super-colony” of 1.5 million penguins, the first ever footage of a cormorant diving for a suckerfish on a whale shark or important announcements of new federal budget allocations that will help to create protected areas in Canada. In this blog post, I will focus on some of the good ocean stories by sharing some recent victories for the ocean, specifically in the form of marine protected areas (MPAs).

As you may already know, countries across the world (including Canada) have committed to protecting at least 10% of their ocean area by 2020. This has led to the creation of several MPAs across the globe. Many countries have gone well above this goal, which is great news for the ocean that is in dire need of protection, now more than ever.

Seychelles

Seychelles recently announced the creation of two new MPAs. These MPAs cover an ocean area of 81,000 square miles; that’s about the size of Great Britain! This is an important contribution to the countries goal to protect 160,000 square miles of their ocean territory by 2022. The country is a group of islands, so its ocean estate makes up approximately 99% of the total area controlled by the country. It is home to a striking diversity of marine creatures. Not surprisingly, the ocean represents an important part of the countries economy. These new MPAs will help to promote the long-term viability of the ocean for both current and future generations.

Chile

Chile announced the creation of new MPAs that will cover a 450,000 square mile area. For comparison, that is about 20 times the size of the landmass of Nova Scotia! These new MPAs will help to protect important spawning areas for fish, migratory corridors for humpback whales and important seabird nesting habitat. With this announcement, Chile has now provided legal protection for 40% of their ocean area. That’s amazing!! With the creation of meaningful protection regulations such as prohibiting mining and industrial fishing, Chile is well on its way to being a global leader in ocean conservation.

Brazil

Until recently, Brazil has lagged behind other countries in terms of MPA coverage, with only 1.5% of its ocean area protected. Fortunately, this could soon change. The Brazilian government has recently opened up public comments and proposals to establish several new MPAs. If successful, this will boost Brazil to 21% ocean protection!

It’s Not All About the Numbers

It’s important to remember that while coverage is important, what really matters is the effectiveness of the MPA, and more specifically, what is and is not allowed within its boundary. In an effort to fulfil international marine conservation targets, countries around the world are racing against the clock to establish MPAs. In several cases, this has undermined conservation efforts. When activities such as oil & gas and harmful fishing methods are allowed in an MPA, these areas are no longer adequately protected. These protected areas are often referred to as “paper parks”- a protected area that may look good on a map but does very little to actually protect marine biodiversity. I hope that as a global community, we can ensure meaningful and proper ocean protection.

Bringing it Back Home

Canada has climbed from 1% ocean protection to 8% in a relatively short period of time. We still have a long way to go, but it is a great start. DFO is working to create several new MPAs on the east coast of Canada, including in Nova Scotia. This will help Canada to catch up to other countries around the world. The world has two more years to meet marine protection goals, so be sure to stay tuned on our twitter and Facebook accounts for more exciting ocean protection announcements. Thanks to CPAWS-NS supporters like you, we can continue to support MPAs and help to create good ocean stories and ultimately a better future for the ocean! Thanks for reading!

Best fishes,

Meghan