Establishing successful Marine Protected Areas in Canada

30 Nov Establishing successful Marine Protected Areas in Canada

CCRN affiliate researchers Nathan Bennett (University of British Columbia) and Natalie Ban (University of Victoria), with input from members of the OceanCanada Partnership, have prepared a policy brief concerning Canada’s marine protected areas (MPAs). Canada is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the country is striving to conserve 10% of coastal and marine areas as MPAs by the year 2020. The authors note six key points and resolutions that should be followed in order to establish successful and effective MPAs in Canada:

Click to view and download a PDF of the full policy brief.

1. In order to create ecological effective MPAs all habitat types should be represented, MPAs should include unique and biologically significant areas, they should not be fragmented, and consideration should be given to the biodiversity and ecosystem services observed in different systems.
2. In order to ensure the successful management of MPAs adequate funding, capacity, enforcement, and monitoring is necessary.
3. MPAs should be integrated into broader management practices that take into consideration multiple stressors and methods to address issues associated with development.
4. The social and economic impacts MPAs may have on stakeholders should be considered and First Nations should play an active role in the creation of management plans.
5. The decision making processes during planning, implementation and management of MPAs should be transparent and respectful to the needs and concerns of First Nation communities.
6. In order for a conservation area to be considered equivalent to an MPA it must reflect the principles listed above.

Getting from the current 1.1% (497,600km2) to the milestone of 10% is a significant challenge that will require collaboration between multiple levels of government and different jurisdictions. Read more about the full Policy Brief, titled “Making Real Progress on Marine Protected Areas in Canada.”

Please contact the authors should you wish further information: nathan.bennett(at)ubc.ca and nban(at)uvic.ca

With permission from the Author, information for this submission was taken from the Liber Ero Blog. The featured image of a fishing boat on the Pacific Coast of Canada was taken by Natalie Ban.