In 2022, all 196 countries that are parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which aims to increase biodiversity conservation on land and sea. One of the targets, known as 30×30, is to protect 30% of the global ocean by 2030 through tools such as marine protected areas (MPAs). However, simply increasing the MPA area is not enough. To achieve conservation outcomes and protect ecosystems, MPAs need to be effective. Many MPAs exist only on paper, while others permit high-impact activities like industrial fishing, which conflict with conservation objectives.
Based on self-reported data from countries worldwide, the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) estimates that 8.2% of the global ocean is designated as an MPA (shown in grey in Fig. 2). This study evaluated 100 of the largest MPAs using The MPA Guide, a framework that categorizes MPAs based on two key factors: Stage of Establishment (proposed, designated, implemented, and actively managed) and Level of Protection (fully protected, highly protected, lightly protected, and minimally protected).
Area of the 100 largest MPAs in the World Database on Protected Areas [accessed February 2023] by Stage of Establishment and Level of Protection using The MPA Guide. Figure 2 of Ocean protection quality is lagging behind quantity: Applying a scientific framework to assess real marine protected area progress against the 30 by 30 target.
The study found that the 100 largest MPAs cover 26,382,926 km², or 7.3% of the global ocean, accounting for 89% of reported MPA coverage (shown as light blue in Fig 2). One quarter of these MPAs (1.9% of the global ocean) are unimplemented. The most common reason was a lack of enforced regulations. Of the MPAs that are implemented or actively managed (shown as medium blue in Fig 2), one-third (2.7% of the global ocean) allow high-impact activities, such as industrial fishing, undermining their conservation goals. Only 36% of these MPAs (2.6% of the global ocean, shown as dark blue in Fig. 2) are fully or highly protected.
The distribution of MPAs is also uneven across ecoregions. Notably, over half of fully and highly protected areas are concentrated in just two regions: the Eastern Indo-Pacific and the Southern Ocean. Additionally, some nations have designated large, highly protected MPAs in their overseas or remote territories, with 62% of fully or highly protected areas located in such distant regions. While these remote MPAs offer significant conservation benefits, urban coastal areas that experience greater human impact are not as protected.
Less than 1% of the global ocean is protected in the High Seas or Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, with all fully or highly protected areas in these regions stemming from just two Antarctic MPAs.
The MPA Guide offers a vital framework for measuring both the quantity and quality of MPAs, providing a clearer picture of global marine conservation progress and identifying areas that need further attention to safeguard biodiversity.
The authors provided policy recommendations, including:
- MPAs that are unimplemented or incompatible with conservation should not count towards global targets.
- Global MPA reporting should include levels of protection as a key indicator.
- MPA planning should prioritize ecologically diverse and biogeographically representative areas, especially near human populations.
- The ratification and implementation of the High Seas Treaty are urgent to protect Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.
- Achieving the “30 by 30” target requires not only increasing MPA coverage but also ensuring the quality and representativeness of protection.
Author: Pike, E.P., J.M.C. MacCarthy, S.O. Hameed, N. Harasta, K. Grorud-Colvert, J. Sullivan-Stack, J. Claudet, B. Horta e Costa, E.J. Goncalves, A. Villagomez and L. Morgan
Year: 2024
Conservation Letters 17:e13021. doi: 10.1111/conl.13020
