The creation of protected areas in the ocean is a topic that is now firmly placed at the forefront of the conservation agenda. Plans for 2020 were set, and mostly, these goals weren’t reached. Currently, only 3% of the ocean is fully or highly protected. 2025 and 2030 goals have been set, but the execution of any regional, national or international goal can only be met if many entities in all countries that rule over parts of the ocean are actually working on it.
There are many different instruments that can be used to bring greater protection to an area. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a fully protected area. In many regions, a mixed-use approach is more practical. In the last 20 years, species-specific sanctuaries (whales, sharks, turtles) have been established in different parts of the world, and sometimes protecting one charismatic species brings with it a domino effect of conservation and sustainable development. On a higher level, there are UNESCO sites, Hope spots, Biospheres, National Marine Parks. On an international level, there are UN agreements for sustainable development, high seas treaties, and hopefully, in the future, high seas MPAs. It’s a tangled network of designations, laws, and agreements. And as usual, none of them are perfect in themselves, but the more range and flexibility there is in getting started with protecting an area, the more likely it is to happen. And it is the cumulative effect of all designation that will bring us closer to the goals. There are many great tools that are being developed to help guide us on this path forward. We will feature some of them here to give a basic understanding of the landscape.