Marine Protected Areas
Conserving Our Oceans and Coasts
Oceans affect our lives every day. They drive our climate, supply food, provide leisure opportunities, and generate billions of dollars for our economy. In turn, we influence the ocean. Overfishing, damaging marine habitats, and pollution are just some of the ways people affect the health and vitality of our oceans.
Increasingly, coastal and ocean managers are turning to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as an important management tool for conserving coastal and ocean ecosystems and sustaining the varied human uses they support.
Closer Than You Think
Chances are, you have visited an MPA and not even known it. If you have gone diving in the kelp forests of central California or the shipwrecks of Thunder Bay, fished in the Florida Keys, swum in Cape Cod’s waters, or hiked along the beaches of the Olympic Coast, you have been to an MPA.
MPAs protect delicate ecosystems.
High resolution (Credit: NOAA)
Marine Protected Areas
MPAs are defined areas where natural and/or cultural resources are given greater protection than the surrounding waters. In the United States, MPAs span a range of habitats including the open ocean, coastal areas, inter-tidal zones, estuaries, and the Great Lakes.
The U.S. has nearly 1,800 areas in the marine environment designated for conservation. Most MPAs were established to protect biodiversity or ecosystems. Other important reasons include sustaining fisheries, conserving cultural heritage resources such as shipwrecks, and protecting threatened or endangered species.
Common Misconceptions
A common perception is that MPAs are closed to all activities. In reality, MPAs have been established for a number of different reasons and provide different levels of access, use, and protection. Nearly all MPAs allow multiple uses, including fishing. The variety of names and terms associated with MPAs also can be confusing. The term “marine reserve” is often incorrectly equated with “marine protected area.” Marine reserves refer specifically to no-take areas, where removing or destroying natural or cultural resources is prohibited. While all marine reserves are MPAs, only a few MPAs are marine reserves. In the U.S., less than one percent of U.S. waters are considered no-take areas.
NOAA’s MPA Center
United States Marine Protected Areas.
High resolution (Credit: NOAA)
In order to improve the nation’s ability to conserve its marine resources, a Presidential Executive Order was established in 2000, calling for a U.S. National System of Marine Protected Areas. NOAA’s National Marine Protected Areas Center is leading this effort, in collaboration with federal agencies, states and territories, tribes, fishery management councils, environmental groups, and members of the general public. In addition, the MPA Federal Advisory Committee, made up of diverse stakeholders from around the country who use and care about the oceans, has provided expert advice. The National System of MPAs will bring together MPA programs at all levels of government to identify and address common conservation problems, especially those that require working beyond the borders of a single MPA, state, or region.
MPAs help protect cultural resources.
High resolution (Credit: NOAA)
What You Can Do
Marine resources belong to all of us. Education and involvement are essential to ensure that MPAs are effective. Do your part to learn more about MPAs in your region. You can help monitor, restore, and conserve our natural and cultural resources for present and future generations. 