PROPORTION OF MARINE AREAS PROTECTED
Ocean, seas and coasts
Marine environment
1.
INDICATOR
(a)
Name: Proportion of marine areas protected.
Core indicator
(b)
Brief Definition: This indicator is expressed as percentage protected of total
surface area of national waters.
The marine area indicator can be expressed by different zones under national
jurisdiction (e.g. territorial waters, exclusive economic zones etc.). It may also be possible
and desirable to disaggregate the indicator further, for example by protected area
category (i.e. using the IUCN protected area management categorisation system).
This indicator can also be separately expressed as the percentage protected of marine
ecological region
(c)
Unit of Measurement: % of total marine area. / % of marine ecological region
(d)
Placement in the CSD Indicator Set: Ocean, seas and coasts/Marine
environment and Biodiversity / Ecosystems.
2.
POLICY RELEVANCE
(a)
Purpose: The indicator represents the extent to which marine areas important
for conserving biodiversity, cultural heritage, scientific research (including baseline
monitoring), recreation, natural resource maintenance, and other values, are protected
from incompatible uses. It shows how much of each major ecosystem and habitat is
dedicated to maintaining its diversity and integrity.
(b)
Relevance to Sustainable/Unsustainable Development (theme/sub-theme):
Sustainable development depends on a sound environment, which in turn depends on
ecosystem diversity. Protected areas are essential for maintaining ecosystem diversity,
in conjunction with management of human impacts on the environment.
(c)
International Conventions and Agreements: Marine protected areas are
increasingly presented as important spatial management tools to reduce or prevent
ongoing declines in marine biodiversity and subsequently are key among the suite of
biodiversity indicators that are being elaborated for several international targets and
processes, including those under the following global processes and agreements:
• the Millennium Development Goals, and
• the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).
Marine protected areas indicators also demonstrate progress on Article 8 (a) of the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The CBD’s Programme of Work on Protected Areas has set goals for creation of protected
area networks, for example: “By … 2012 in the marine area, a global network of
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comprehensive, representative and effectively managed national and regional protected
area system is established as a contribution to (i) the goal of the Strategic Plan of the
Convention and the World Summit on Sustainable Development of achieving a
significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010; (ii) the Millennium
Development Goals – particularly Goal 7 on ensuring environmental sustainability; and
(iii) the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.” i
(d)
International Targets/Recommended Standards:
The international community has committed “to achieve a significant reduction of the
current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional, and national level as a
contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on earth by 2010”. This
“2010 Target” was formally adopted by governments at the 6th Conference of the Parties
of the CBD in 2002, and endorsed later that year at the WSSD. The 2010 target, and the
targets relating to the general objectives of the CBD, relate specifically to Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity but could also be used as a guide for non-Party
states. The CBD established a target that ‘at least 10% of each of the world’s ecological
regions [including marine and coastal] be effectively conserved [by 2010]’.
The revised MDG monitoring framework, presented in 2007 to the General Assembly,
includes the new target “Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant
reduction in the rate of loss” under MDG 7 (Ensure environmental sustainability), in
addition to the original target “Integrate the principles of sustainable development into
country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources”.
The Vth World Parks Congress in 2003 was made to “[g]reatly increase the marine and
coastal area managed in marine protected areas by 2012 …. includ[ing] strictly protected
areas that amount to at least 20-30% of each habitat”9
(e)
Linkages to Other Indicators: This indicator is linked to other indicators which
are related to, inter alia, marine habitats and marine resource use. These would include;
Area of Selected Key Ecosystems, Ratification of Global Agreements, etc.
This indicator is also linked to indicators of species diversity and environmental quality.
It would be complemented by an indicator measuring trends in the management
effectiveness of protected areas.
3.
METHODOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION
(a)
Underlying Definitions and Concepts:
A marine protected area is defined as: ‘Any area of intertidal or subtidal terrain, together
with its overlying water and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features, which has
been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment’
(IUCN, 1988).
Only ‘designated’ protected areas are used in this calculation. In other words no
‘Proposed’ sites are included in the analysis. The status ‘Designated’ is attributed to a
protected area when the management authority that according to national legislation or
common practice (e.g. by means of an executive decree or similar) officially endorses a
document of designation.
The marine area indicator can be disaggregated by country. It may also be desirable to
disaggregate the indicator further, for example by different zones under national
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jurisdiction e.g. territorial waters and exclusive economic zones 30 (where declared), and
by protected area category (i.e. using the IUCN protected area management category
system).
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) defines six management categories of protected
areas.
I. Protected area managed mainly for science of wilderness protection (e.g. Strict Nature
Reserve/Wilderness Area)
II. Protected area managed mainly for ecosystem protection and recreation (e.g. National
Park)
III. Protected area managed mainly for conservation of specific natural features (e.g.
Natural Monument)
IV. Protected area managed mainly for conservation through management intervention
(e.g. Habitat/Species Management Area)
V. Protected area managed mainly for landscape/seascape protection and recreation
(e.g. Protected Landscape/Seascape)
VI. Protected area managed mainly for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems (e.g.
Managed Resource Protected Area)
The indicator may also be expressed as the coverage of protected areas as a percentage
of marine ecological regions. Suggested ecoregional approaches, to be utilised for global
and regional scale reporting, may include Large Marine Ecosystems (NOAA 2001) and
the ecological regions described in the recent Marine Ecoregionalisation of the World
(Spalding, M. et al, 2006).
At the country scale, national agencies will be encouraged to develop their own marine
biogeographic classification system. It may be desirable to utilise the ecoregional
boundaries 31 provide by the Marine Ecoregionalisation of the World (MEOW) approach.
These units may be further resolved by the national agencies. However these ecoregions
would only provide a basis for global or regional reporting if the national systems
employ coherent and consistent approaches in defining national ecoregions.
The minimum size of the units varies depending on the classification system used and
the size of the country (or other territory) being assessed.
(b)
Measurement Methods: The indicator will be expressed as a proportion of
marine ecological regions protected reported by country. Spatial analysis will be
conducted through the use of GIS software for areas where spatial data exists. For
protected areas with no spatial data, but where size is known and location is
approximate (e.g. a centre point for the protected area is reported.), the available
information will be interpreted on a case by case basis by utilizing automated routines
and informed by expert opinion.
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The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) defines these zones in the following
manner:
• Territorial Sea - The territorial sea extends from the baseline up to 12 nautical miles.
• Exclusive economic zone - From 12 to 200 nautical miles, the coastal State can declare an exclusive
economic zone.
31
The MEOW approach uses a three tiered system of progressively smaller units (from ‘realms’ to
‘provinces’, to ‘ecoregions’).
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(c)
Limitations of the Indicator: The indicator represents de jure not de facto
protection. It does not indicate the quality of management or whether the areas are in
fact protected from incompatible uses. It also gives a rather coarse picture of ecosystem
protection. Additional detail would be needed to show the extent of disturbance of the
ecosystem within each protected area, and coverage of rare or key ecological
communities. Limitations to this indicator also include the lack of spatial data for many
of the sites.
(d)
Status of the Methodology: The methodology for combining area protected
with other layers is commonly used for a variety of international reporting mechanisms.
(e)
Alternative Definitions/Indicators: If a suitable ecosystem classification is not
available, alternative indicators that are disaggregated by habitat may be utilized.
4.
ASSESSMENT OF DATA
(a)
Data Needed to Compile the Indicator: A map of the ecosystems and habitats
of the territory, preferably using a classification that is internationally compatible and
valid for other countries and territories in the region. A map of the protected areas of the
country or territory. A geo-referenced list of the protected areas, giving their sizes (area
in hectares) and locations, and classifying them by the IUCN protected area
management categories - see 3(a).
(b)
National and International Data Availability and Sources: Major ecosystem
and habitat classifications have been mapped for most regions and many countries.
National classifications may not be compatible with other countries in their region, and
few regional classifications are sufficiently detailed or accepted for national use. Global
classifications are generally too coarse. Most countries keep statistics on protected areas,
but their protected area systems may not be accurately mapped.
However, the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) provides the most
comprehensive dataset on protected areas worldwide and is managed by UNEP-WCMC
in partnership with the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and the
World Database on Protected Areas Consortium. The WDPA is a fully relational
database containing information on the status, environment and management of
individual protected areas. This database includes information from countries, NGOs
and academic institutions, international environmental conventions, etc. The WDPA
enables searching of protected areas data by site name, country, and international
programme or convention. It is possible to disaggregate the data in the WDPA by
country and by IUCN Management Category, therefore it is suitable for this indicator.
Data is currently available for over 110,000 protected areas worldwide. UNEP-WCMC
provides online access to the WDPA Consortium 2006 World Database on Protected
Areas web-download as part of a broad strategy to share conservation information.
Statistical information produced for the WDPA 2006 CD-ROM which relate to WDPA
datasets is also available in addition to information on the definitions and categorisation
of protected areas worldwide.
UNEP-WCMC and IUCN also cooperate on the compilation of the periodic United
Nations List of Protected Areas, which provides the name, IUCN protected area
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management category, location, size, and year of establishment of all protected areas.
This database includes information only from officially recognized national authorities.
(c)
Data references: The United Nations List of Protected Areas (1993, 1997, 2003) is
available as a web-based data resource. Ten editions of the List were previously printed
between 1962 and 1990.
The World Database on Protected Areas is available as a web-based data resource and
on CD-ROM.
In addition to supporting the production of the periodic UN List, the data in the WDPA
has been used, and continues to be used, to support a number of global and regional
assessments, including:
• The Convention on Biological Diversity Programme of Work on Protected Areas.
• Global Environment Outlook (ongoing)
• Global Biodiversity Outlook (ongoing)
• World Resources Report (ongoing)
• Protected area and thematic studies for the World Heritage Convention
(ongoing)
• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
• Protected areas information support for the Vth World Parks Congress (2003)
• Circumpolar Protected Areas Network (CPAN) – Strategy and Action Plan (1996)
5.
AGENCIES INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDICATOR
(a)
Lead Agency: The lead agencies are the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring
Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).
(b)
Other Contributing Organizations: The World Database on Protected Areas
Consortium was established in 2002 to expand participation and leadership on the
development of the protected areas database. The Consortium brings together a growing
number of international conservation organizations that have agreed to ensure that
information on protected areas is maintained on a cooperative basis and used to monitor
the effectiveness of global conservation agendas. In addition to UNEP-WCMC and
IUCN, consortium members include the American Museum of Natural History, BirdLife
International, Conservation International, Flora and Fauna International, The Nature
Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, World Resources Institute, World Wildlife
Fund – US, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF International).
In addition to the Consortium’s support the University of British Columbia Fisheries
Centre, and specifically the Seas Around Us Project 32 , in 2005 and 2006 supported a
process to improve the WDPA’s data holdings on marine protected areas.
6.
REFERENCES
(a)
Readings:
Guidelines for Protected Area Management Categories, McNeely, Jeffrey (ed.). (1993).
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http://www.seaaroundus.org/
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Parks for Life: report of the IVth World Congress on National Parks and Protected
Areas. IUCN - The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland. Dinerstein, Eric,
David M. Olson, et al. (1995).
United Nations. Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development,
Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August-4th September 2002. A/CONF.199/20 (2002).
IUCN. Recommendations of the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress (2003).
CBD. Decisions adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on
Biological Diversity at its seventh meeting (Decision VII/30). UNEP/CBD/COP/7/21
(2004).
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2001. Large Marine Ecosystems.
National Oceanic and Atmoshpheric Administration, Kingston, RI. For further
information see http://woodsmoke.edc.uri.edu/Portal/ptk
Global coastal and marine biogeographic regionalization as a support tool for
implementation of CBD programmes of work. UNEP/CBD/COP/8/INF/34. Spalding,
M. et al. (2006)
CONABIO. Capital natural y bienestar social. Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento
y Uso de la Biodiversidad, México (2006)
http://www.conabio.gob.mx/2ep/images/c/c5/capital_natural_1.pdf
(b)
Internet sites:
World Database on Protected Areas. http://www.unep-wcmc.org/wdpa
World Commission on Protected Areas
http://www.iucn.org/themes/wcpa/index.html
UN List of Protected Areas, 2003.
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/protected_areas/UN_list/index.htm
UN List of Protected Areas, 1997.
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/protected_areas/data/un_97_list.html
UN List of Protected Areas, 1993.
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/protected_areas/data/un_93_list.html
Convention on Biological Diversity http://www.biodiv.org/
The Millennium Development Goals http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/default.aspx
The World Summit on Sustainable
http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/
Development
Plan
of
Implementation
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