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Marine Protected Areas: Finding a Balance Between Conservation and Fisheries Management
Fathom
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| Seminar Introduction |
 Marine ecosystems have often been ignored from a conservation or resource management perspective until catastrophes such as species depletion or serious environmental harm occurs. Compared to land-based national parks, only a tiny fraction of marine areas have been set aside for protection and designated as marine protected areas (MPAs)--and many of these have varying levels of restrictions on use. Scientists have been studying the effect of MPAs on marine ecosystems and attempting to create the most efficient MPA reserve designs in order to maximize both conservation goals and fisheries management goals. The complex scientific, economic, social and political issues surrounding MPAs make finding "common ground" difficult for various marine users, which range from commercial and recreational fishers to ecotourism operators and environmental groups. This seminar explains what MPAs are and discusses many of the most important issues surrounding them in terms of their creation, design, monitoring and effects. Of interest to not only people involved in conservation or fisheries groups, this seminar also provides necessary background information for concerned citizens who participate in marine activities or who want to know more about marine conservation and fisheries management issues.
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| Learning Objectives |
- Describe how marine conservation principles have been used since the Middle Ages.
- List the major types of conservation ethics and the characteristics of each type.
- Compare the strengths and weaknesses of the biotic conservation ethic with the economic conservation ethic.
- Explain how the loss of a single species can have disastrous effects throughout a marine ecosystem.
- List criteria that should be used in evaluating the effectiveness of an MPA.
- Outline the four fundamental principles of measuring reserve design effectiveness.
- Define the concept of marine insurance and how it can be used to protect reserves from natural and man-made catastrophes.
- List the primary objectives of the National MPA Initiative.
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| Sessions |
| Session 1 | History and Background of Marine Conservation |
| Session 2 | Marine Ecosystem Management and Conservation Ethics |
| Session 3 | The Role of Science in Defining MPA Goals, Design and Evaluation |
| Session 4 | Evaluating the Effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas |
| Session 5 | Reserve Insurance: Planning for Catastrophes in Marine Protected Areas |
| Session 6 | The US National MPA Initiative |
| Contributors |
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| Credits |
This seminar is adapted from lectures given at the symposium "Fisheries, Oceanography and Society, Marine Protected Areas: Design and Implementation for Conservation and Fisheries Restoration," presented by the Ocean Life Institute of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on August 27-29, 2001. Copyright 2002 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
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| Technical Requirements |
To appreciate this seminar experience, it is critical that you have the appropriate software, plug-ins, and network connections. Please take the time to download the latest versions of the plug-ins mentioned below if you do not already have them. Browser: Netscape versions 4.x up to 4.76, or Internet Explorer versions 4.x or later. Your browser must be JavaScript-enabled and must be set to accept cookies.
Network Connection: The recommended minimum connection is 56Kbps with a throughput of 34Kbps or more. A faster connection is encouraged to take better advantage of the media elements in the seminar.
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