June 6, 2016

SUFB 167: MPAs Are Just One Tool In The Ocean Conservation Tool Box

SUFB 167: MPAs Are Just One Tool In The Ocean Conservation Tool Box

Marine Protected Areas are a tool in the tool belt for Ocean Conservation

A colleague of mine and the Facebook Group Manager of the Citizen Scientist for the Oceans group posted a couple of articles about Marine Conservation and Marine Protected Areas. In each article, the topic was how Marine Protected Areas were not as successful because they couldn't protect against 2 things:

  1. Local stakeholders (shark fishermen) who didn't have alternative livings to take care of their families; and,
  2. Couldn't protect coral reef habitats in the most complex and largest multi-use marine protected areas in the world from sea surface temperature increased- coral bleaching (due to climate change).

MPAs work for that they are designed to do, protect habitats from human uses such as over fishing, tourism, oil and gas drilling, and mining. It does not protect against bad water quality (nutrients and sedimentation) and climate change.

Listen to the podcast as to why this is so and what we need to do about it.

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean: http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf