• Background/General Information
• MPA Programs
• Research Tools
• MPA Special Topics
• News Sources
• Training

Background/General Information

Definitions, classification systems, Executive Order 13158, glossary, National MPA Center, FAQs

• About Marine Protected Areas


• Executive Order 13158 of May 26, 2000 - Marine Protected Areas


• Frequently Asked Questions (about MPAs)


• Glossary (terms related to U.S. MPAs)


• MPA Classification (U.S.)


• MPA Definition


• National MPA Center - facilitates effective use of science, technology, training, and information in the planning, management, and evaluation of the U.S. national system of MPAs


• Protect Planet Ocean web site's "Introduction" page* - International collaboration to provide MPA information to a global audience

MPA Programs

Federal, State, Commonwealth, Territory, International

• Federal Programs
• MPA Federal Programs


• MPA Federal Advisory Committee

• State/Commonwealth/Territory Programs
• States, Commonwealths, and Territorial Marine Protected Area Programs

• International Programs/Projects
• "International MPA Efforts" page of National MPA Center web site


• IUCN (The World Conservation Union)-Marine Programme Web site*


• MPA Global - A database of the world's MPAs*


• Protect Planet Ocean web site* - International collaboration to provide MPA information to a global audience


• WCPA (World Commission on Protected Areas)-Marine*

Research Tools

NOAA Libraries' Catalog, journals/contents alerts, subject guides, databases

• "Databases and Article Searching" page of NOAA Central Library Web site
  (some free, some restricted to NOAA staff)


• Journal publishers' contents alerts - Register to set up contents alerts for marine science journal titles on publishers' web sites, for example:
  
  • Informaworld (Taylor & Francis journals) - Sign up for alert on relevant titles' index pages
  • ScienceDirect
  • SpringerLink
  • Wiley Interscience - Select "Set Email Alert" from relevant titles' index pages
  
  
• NOAA Central Library E-Journals
  (some free, some restricted to NOAA staff)


• NOAA Libraries' Catalog
  (search the words "MPA document" as a title search, to retrieve all records tagged as MPA-related publications)


• Protect Planet Ocean web site's "Resources" page*
  (search experts, topics, etc.)


• WINDandSEA (Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences Internet Locator)
  (a NOAA Central Library subject guide to oceanic and atmospheric science and policy web sites organized by topic)

MPA Special Topics

Cultural resources, Education, Enforcement, Fisheries, GIS tools, Marine Managed Areas, MPA Science, U.S. National System, Regional information, Social Science

• Cultural/Historic MPA Resources
• "Cultural Heritage MPAs" page of National MPA Center web site


• Marine Cultural and Historic Newsletter (National MPA Center archived publication)

• Education and Public Awareness
• "MPA Education" page of National MPA Center web site


• Protect Planet Ocean web site's "Get Involved" page*

• Enforcement
• "Enforcing U.S. Marine Protected Areas: Synthesis Report"
  (a National Marine Protected Areas Center publication)

• Fisheries issues
• NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service


• Office of Protected Resources of the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service


• Office of Sustainable Fisheries of the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service

• GIS/Remote Sensing Tools
• Data & Analysis - info on MPA Inventory, Ocean Uses Atlas, De Facto MPAs, analysis of U.S. MPAs, and maps


• GIS for Marine Protected Areas


• Google Earth Outreach KML (Keyhole Markup Language): Marine Protected Areas*


• "Interactive MPA pages" (iMPA) of Protect Planet Ocean web site*


• "An Inventory of GIS-Based Decision Support Tools for MPAs"
  (a National MPA Center publication)


• Marine Protected Areas Inventory (U.S.)


• U.S. Marine Protected Areas Online Mapping Tool

• Marine Managed Areas
• "Case Studies of State-Level Marine Managed Area Systems"
  (a National MPA Center publication)


• The Locally-Managed Marine Area (LMMA) Network (Asia-Pacific practitioners)*


• "Marine Managed Areas: Best Practics for Boundary Making" - a NOAA Coastal Services Center publication

• MPA Science & Stewardship
• "Marine Reserves: A Guide to Science, Design and Use," by Jack Sobel and Craig Dahlgren
  


• "Science & Stewardship" page of National MPA Center web site


• "The Science of Marine Reserves" - booklets by PISCO, the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans*

• MPA Systems and Networks  (See also "U.S. National System of MPAs" further below)
• "Establishing Resilient Marine Protected Area Networks - Making It Happen"*
  (an IUCN WCPA publication)


• "Roadmap to Recovery: A Global Network of Marine Reserves"*
  (a Greenpeace publication)


• "Towards a Coherent Network of Marine Protected Areas Conference"*
  (a Natural England publication)


• "Towards Networks of Marine Protected Areas: The MPA Plan of Action for IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas"*

• Regional Information
• Marine Ecoregions of North America - from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation; maps and classifies the continent's oceanic and coastal waters into 24 marine ecoregions


• Protect Planet Ocean web site's "Regions" page*

• Social Science Methods
• Regional Priorities for Social Science Research publications from National MPA Center - Look for publications on Pacific Coast, South Atlantic, U.S. Caribbean and South Florida, and U.S. Pacific Islands priorities


• "Social Science Research Strategy for Marine Protected Areas"
  (a National MPA Center publication)


• Socioeconomics page - from NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

• U.S. National System of MPAs  (See also MPA Systems and Networks further above)
• "About the National System of Marine Protected Areas" page of the National MPA Center web site


• "The Framework for the National System of Marine Protected Areas" informational page of the National MPA Center web site


• "Framework for the National System of Marine Protected Areas of the United States of America" (full document)
  (a National MPA Center publication)

News Sources

Newsletters, news alerts, blogs, press releases

• Google Alerts* (set up an alert for "marine protected areas" news)


• Information Exchange for Marine Educators (NOAA Office of Education-supported newsletter for marine educators)


• Lexis.com* (individual subscribers may save searches to set up news alerts for "marine protected areas" within Legal resources - e.g. Law Reviews or News resources)


• Marine Cultural and Historic Newsletter (National MPA Center archived publication)


• Marine Ecosystems and Management* (quarterly newsletter on marine ecosystem-based management)


• MPA Connections (periodic newsletter of National MPA Center)


• MPA News* (international news and analysis newsletter)


• NOAA Coral Reef News


• NOAA press releases about MPAs


• "The Official MPA Blog" section of Protect Planet Ocean web site*

Training

MPA management training courses

• MPA Training page of National MPA Center web site


• Managing Vistitor Use in Coastal and Marine Protected Areas - NOAA Coastal Service Center training

Visit the "National Marine Protected Areas Center" Web site often, for current information on the effective use of science, technology, training and information in the planning, management, and evaluation of the U.S. national system of marine protected areas.

National Marine Protected Areas Center Web site
http://marineprotectedareas.noaa.gov/