MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
PROTECTION AND RECOVERY
OF MARINE LIFE
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are legally designated zones in the marine environment where human activity is regulated to ensure that uses remain compatible with the ecosystems’ capacity to support them, while maintaining their resilience and health. Their goal is to protect and restore biodiversity.
Internationally recognized as the most effective tool for the protection and recovery of marine life, MPAs aim to safeguard species and habitats, preserve ecosystem integrity, and promote marine biodiversity and biological productivity.
BENEFITS FOR ALL
Well-implemented and well-managed Marine Protected Areas can serve as sanctuaries that support intact marine systems. By protecting species and habitats, these areas help restore overexploited populations, both within and beyond their boundaries, generating long-term benefits for nature and the sustainability of human activities.
In addition, Marine Protected Areas contribute to food security, regulate the climate, and absorb part of the excess heat generated by global warming, making the planet more livable and resilient to climate change.
INTERNATIONAL POLICIES AND AGREEMENTS
The designation, implementation, and management of Marine Protected Areas should be guided by the guidelines of international policies and agreements that promote their creation, and supported by the best available scientific and local knowledge. Strategies, frameworks, directives, and action plans aimed at ocean conservation emphasize the need to establish networks of MPAs that foster biological connectivity and ensure the representation of the biodiversity they aim to protect.
Since 1992, targets have been set to help conserve and use the ocean sustainably by creating marine protected areas.
INTERNATIONAL
MARINE CONSERVATION TARGETS
-
1992
Protect 10% of the world's 'ecological regions' by 2010
1st Conference of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
(Rio de Janeiro, 1992) -
2010
Aichi Target 11: Conserve 10% of coastal and marine areas by 2020
Through “well-connected systems of protected areas”
(CBD COP10; Nagoya, 2010) -
2014
Call to raise the target to 30%
Through “Fully Protected Marine Protected Areas”
IUCN World Parks Congress
(Sydney, 2014) -
2015
SDG 14.5 Conserve 10% of coastal and marine areas by 2020
Adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
(UNGA; New York, 2015) -
2020
Reported 7% ocean protection in 2020
(CBD, 2020)
Protect 30% of the EU’s marine area, with 10% strictly protected by 2030
EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030
(Brussels, 2020) -
2022
Conserve and manage 30% of coastal and marine areas by 2023
(CBD COP15; Montreal, 2022)
However, in both 2010 and 2020, the targets set for protecting 10% of the ocean were not achieved. In 2020, only 7% was reported globally and 9% in Europe (EU-27 + UK), with no clear evidence of effective protection within the established Marine Protected Areas.
In response, the Member States of the European committed to protecting 30% of European seas, including 10% under strict protection. This target was also adopted internationally at CBD COP15 (Montreal, 2022) through the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, establishing the “30x30” goal for the conservation and effective management of at least 30% of coastal and ocean areas.
In 2021, the “Guide to Marine Protected Areas” was published, the result of work carried out by scientists, managers, and other stakeholders involved in Marine Protected Areas. The guide aimed to harmonize and complement the management categories defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and to develop clear guidelines for the planning, implementation, and management of Marine Protected Areas.
This document clearly defines the different levels of protection (full, high, light, and minimal) — identifying the permitted, conditional, and prohibited activities at each level — as well as the stages of implementation (proposed, designated, implemented, and actively managed) of Marine Protected Areas.
To determine the level of protection of a Marine Protected Area (or a specific zone within an MPA), both the significance of the natural values present and the various activities occurring in the area are taken into account. Each of these activities is assessed based on its intensity, scale, duration, frequency, and overall impact on the ecosystem.
In general, at higher levels of protection, only activities that have low impact are compatible, resulting in faster and greater ecological, social, and economic benefits from protection.
It is based on these guidelines, supported by the best scientific knowledge and international ocean conservation strategies, that Blue Azores supports the revision of the Azores Marine Protected Area Network, incorporating into its proposals the best international practices for the designation and implementation of MPAs.
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS OF THE WORLD
AND IN THE NATIONAL CONTEXT
Currently, only 8% of the ocean is protected by Marine Protected Areas, and less than 3% are under full or high protection. Studies indicate that only these two levels of protection effectively ensure the preservation of marine biodiversity. However, lightly or minimally protected areas remain predominant, failing to deliver the intended conservation benefits. So-called “paper” Marine Protected Areas still exist, lacking effective implementation and management.
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Portugal has made several commitments to the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean. Its first Marine Protected Area, the Selvagens Islands Nature Reserve, was designated in 1971. In 2021, the National Ocean Strategy 2021–2030 was approved, transposing into the national framework the European and international target of protecting 30% of marine areas under national jurisdiction by 2030. In 2023, this goal was brought forward to 2026 by Portugal’s XXIII Constitutional Government.
Marine Protected Areas are essential tools for ensuring a healthy ocean, protecting biodiversity, and promoting the sustainability of economic activities.
The success of these areas depends on coherent planning, active and adaptive management, and community engagement — thereby ensuring the well-being of present and future generations.
