Marine Protected Area - International Efforts

International Efforts

The 17th International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) General Assembly in San Jose, California, the 19th IUCN assembly and the fourth World Parks Congress all proposed to centralise the establishment of protected areas. The World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 called for

the establishment of marine protected areas consistent with international laws and based on scientific information, including representative networks by 2012.

The Evian agreement, signed by G8 Nations in 2003, agreed to these terms. The Durban Action Plan, developed in 2003, called for regional action and targets to establish a network of protected areas by 2010 within the jurisdiction of regional environmental protocols.It recommended establishing protected areas for 20 to 30% of the world's oceans by the goal date of 2012. The Convention on Biological Diversity considered these recommendations and recommended requiring nations to set up marine parks that are controlled by a central organization before merging them. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed to the terms laid out by the convention, and in 2004, its member nations committed to the following targets;

• By 2006 complete area system gap analysis at national and regional levels.
• By 2008 address the more underrepresented of marine ecosystems in existing national and regional systems of protected areas, taking into account marine ecosystems beyond areas of national jurisdiction in accordance with applicable international laws.
• By 2009 designate the protected areas identified through the gap analysis.
• By 2012 complete the establishment of a comprehensive and ecologically representative national and regional system of marine protected areas.

"The establishment by 2010 of terrestrial and by 2012 for marine areas of comprehensive, effectively managed, and ecologically representative national and regional systems of protected areas that collectively, inter alia through a global network, contribute to achieving the three objectives of the Convention and the 2010 target to significantly reduce the current late of biodiversity loss at the global, regional, national, and sub-national levels and contribute to poverty reduction and the pursuit of sustainable development."

The UN later also endorsed another decision, Decision VII/15, in 2006:

Effective conservation of 10% of each of the world's ecological regions by 2010.

Many countries have established national targets, accompanied by action plans and implementations. The UN Council identified the need for countries to collaborate with each other to establish effective regional conservation plans. A few of these national targets are listed in the table below

Country	Plan of action
American Samoa	20% of reefs to be protected by 2010
South Australia	19 marine protected areas by 2010
Bahamas	20% of the marine ecosystem protected for fishery replenishment by 2010. 20% of coastal and marine habitats by 2015.
Belize	20% of bioregions. 30% of Coral reefs. 60% of turtle nesting sites. 30% of Manatee distribution. 60% of American crocodile nesting. 80% of breeding areas.
Chile	10% of marine areas by 2010. National network for organization by 2015.
Cuba	22% of land habitat, including: 15% of the insular shelf 25% of coral reefs 25% of wetlands
Dominican Republic	20% of marine and coastal by 2020.
Micronesia	30% of shoreline ecosystems by 2020.
Fiji	30% of reefs by 2015. 30% of water managed by marine protected areas by 2020.
Germany	38% of water managed by the marine protected network. (no set date)
Grenada	25% of nearby marine resources by 2020.
Guam	30% of nearby marine ecosystem by 2020.
Indonesia	100,000 km2 by 2010. 200,000 km2 by 2020.
Ireland	14% of territorial waters as of 2009
Jamaica	20% of marine habitats by 2020.
Madagascar	100,000 km2 by 2012.
Marshal Islands	30% of nearby marine ecosystem by 2020.
New Zealand	20% of marine environment by 2010.
North Mariana Islands	30% of nearby marine ecosystem by 2020.
Palau	30% of nearby marine ecosystem by 2020.
Peru	Marine protected area system established by 2015.
Philippines	10% fully protected by 2020.
Senegal	Creation of MPA network. (no set date)
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	20% of marine areas by 2020.
Tanzania	10% of marine area by 2010; 20% by 2020.
United Kingdom	Establish an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas by 2012.
USA – California	29 MPAs covering 18% of state marine area with 243 square kilometres (94 sq mi) at maximum protection.