United States' ocean conservation efforts have major gaps, analysis shows

More than 98% of U.S. waters outside the central Pacific Ocean are not part of a marine protected area, and the ones that are tend to be lightly protected from damaging human activity.

The study examined the nation's 50 largest marine protected areas using a guide produced last year by some of the same scientists who worked on the current research. The 50 account for 99.7% of the United States.

The U.S. needs to create more, and more effective, MPAs.

The findings show an urgent need to improve the quality, quantity and representativeness of marine protected areas in the U.S.

The territorial sea extends 12 nautical miles offshore, as well as the contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone.

99% of U.S. waters are highly protected or fully protected according to criteria established by TheMPA Guide: A framework to achieve global goals for the ocean.

Critical marine systems, such as those in the Atlantic,Arctic and northeast Pacific oceans and the Caribbean Sea, are vulnerable to unprecedented pressures, and so are the coastal economies that depend on those systems.

The benefits from marine protected areas are key for our future, according to Grorud-Colvert.

At least 30% of the country's lands and waters will be preserved by the America the Beautiful goals. The 50 largest U.S. marine protected areas were assessed by the scientists.

The analysis of the United States MPAs was one of the first systematic applications of the guide. The guide is based on decades of research in communities around the world so that marine protected areas can be accurately rated as fully, highly, lightly or minimally protected.

As policymakers try to measure and improve the level of protection offered by existingMPAs and work to develop new ones, this information on protected area quality is crucial.

The analysis shows the need to improve equity and other social and ecological conditions in order for the areas to be effective.

It is important to recognize that well- managed marine protected areas can deliver benefits that extend beyond marine life to coastal communities that depend on sustainable marine resources for their livelihoods and cultural survival.

In addition to urging the creation of more fully and highly protected areas, the authors offer other recommendations for U.S. policymakers.

• Establish new, networked MPAs with better representation of marine biodiversity, regions and habitats. "The vast central Pacific MPAs are valuable and should be celebrated, but we need to create effective networks in other areas too," Sullivan-Stack said. "This will bring the social benefits of MPAs within reach of many more communities."
• Improve attention and commitment to equity in new and existing MPAs. "Thoughtfully including diverse rights holders and stakeholders, particularly Indigenous and other historically excluded communities, in the creation, design, implementation, management and MPA impact assessment has the potential to increase overall MPA effectiveness," Spalding said.
• Track MPAs' ability to deliver outcomes, not just the area they cover. "And outcomes from sites that provide effective and lasting conservation benefits but are not MPAs, like military closed areas for example, should also be tracked as the U.S. works toward the 30x30 target," Grorud-Colvert said.
• Ensure that MPAs are built to last. Governance structures and long-term funding support for staffing, monitoring, etc., should be established or strengthened, the scientists say. "More research is needed on how to make sure MPAs are both climate ready and can help mitigate the effects of climate change," Sullivan-Stack said.
• Build on existing MPA initiatives at the state and local levels. "State support is crucial for achieving the federal goals of America the Beautiful," Spalding said. "State initiatives could include executive and legislative actions, outreach and education, and stakeholder coordination, while local community needs can and should be aligned with those of conservation efforts."

More information: A scientific synthesis of marine protected areas in the United States: Status and recommendations, Frontiers in Marine Science (2022). Journal information: Frontiers in Marine Science , Science Citation: United States' ocean conservation efforts have major gaps, analysis shows (2022, May 18) retrieved 18 May 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-05-states-ocean-efforts-major-gaps.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.